Gauchos settle a score in Walnut

The Saddleback football team has had to wait nearly 10 months to get back on to the field since losing a controversial battle to Mt. San Antonio College in the Southern California playoffs last season.  The Gauchos scored a bit of redemption on Saturday in racing past the Mounties, 44-20, outscoring Mt. SAC 30-6 in the second half.

Saddleback and Mt. SAC have had one great battle after another in recent years but with four straight losses to the Mounties in the last minute, the Gauchos were starting to wonder if Mt. SAC had their number.  Saddleback put it all behind them on Saturday with a dominating win in 103-degree heat, starting the regular season with a bang.

Both offenses sputtered for the first 30 minutes and went to the locker rooms tied at 14-14.  The Gauchos, however, caught fire on both sides of the ball in the second half in blowing the game open early in the fourth quarter.

Quarterback Tim Belman finished 36-for-59 for 358 yards and four touchdowns on the day.  He threw three touchdowns in the second half as the offense rolled up 477 yards on the afternoon.  Belman found freshman wide receiver RJ Dedrick 11 times for 110 yards and two scores on the day and also connected with freshman tight end Chris French eight times for 70 yards and a score.  Sophomore receiver Dominick Ela also had a big day, making a number of big plays in finishing with six catches for 100 yards and a score.  Mitchell Simonson was the workhorse on the ground, rushing 13 times for 62 yards as Saddleback rotated in four running backs in the sweltering heat.

Meanwhile, the defense was sensational all afternoon.  The Gauchos forces seven turnovers, including six interceptions on the day.  Transfer Laquan Middleton was the star, making three interceptions while he and his teammates stifled a Mountie offense with a number of high-profile offensive weapons.  The Saddleback defense held Mt. SAC to 337 yards on the day…96 of which came on one play.  Trevor Douglass and Doug Ruggles led the Gauchos with seven tackles apiece, consistently wrapping up ball-carriers in the open field and frustrating the Mountie weapons.

Saddleback entered the game ranked No. 13 in the nation by JCGridiron.com while Mt. SAC entered the contest at No. 3 in the nation.  The Gauchos are expected to rise in the rankings when they are released on Monday morning.

For Saddleback, it was sweet redemption after losing four straight in painful fashion.  The Gauchos will try and continue the momentum next week when they host College of the Canyons in their home-opener.  Game time is scheduled for 6:00 PM.