Gauchos take on Tigers for Southern League title

The Saddleback College football team hosts Riverside City College on Saturday night at Mission Viejo High School.  The winner will earn the National Division Southern League title for 2019.

Saddleback and Riverside City have been on a collision course for most of the season, with both being ranked among the nation's elite.  Riverside City comes in ranked No. 1 in the nation by JCGridiron.com while Saddleback comes in at No. 4.  The winner will likely be the top seed in the Southern California Regional Playoffs, which start next weekend.

Saddleback and Riverside have a long history, dating back to 1970.  The Gauchos hold a 29-15 advantage in the series, with Riverside winning the past two matchups and seven out of the last eight.  The last time Saddleback defeated Riverside was in the 2015 playoffs (37-20) when they made a run to the state title game.

Saddleback and Riverside have been hammering opponents all season, with the Gauchos outscoring opponents 431-174 and the Tigers doing the same at 442-155.  Riverside ranks No. 1 in points-scored among National Division teams in the state (49.1 ppg) while Saddleback is No. 2 (47.9 ppg).  The two defenses have also been stout, with Riverside ranking No. 5 among National Division teams in points-allowed (17.2 ppg) and Saddleback at No. 8 (19.3 ppg).

Saddleback is led on offense by quarterback Chance Nolan, who has the top passer efficiency rating in the state (187.0).  Nolan has 30 touchdowns against just two interceptions on the season and is four touchdown passes away from tying the program record for a season.  Riverside has a rotation at quarterback with Jacob Barlage (3) and Mike Irwin (15), both of which are in the top-15 in the state in passer efficiency.  They have been busy getting the ball to a bevy or receivers, six of which have 20-or-more receptions for the year.

Saddleback's defense is led by linebacker Tyriek Bell.  The freshman is currently 16^th in the state with 64 total tackles and leads the Gauchos in both tackles-for-loss (10.5) and sacks (4.5).  Riverside counters with a defense that has 11 interceptions on the season, led by defensive backs Shawn Dourseau (4) and Kylen Ross (3).  Both defenses have been very good against the run as Saddleback allows opponents just 3.4 yards-per-carry and Riverside 2.5 yards-per-carry.

Saddleback and Riverside City are scheduled to start at 6:00 PM at Mission Viejo High School.  For those that cannot make it to the game, the game is also scheduled to be streamed live by SoCal College Sports.

Follow Saddleback athletics at:

Web: saddlebackgauchos.com
Twitter: @SCGauchos
Instagram: @saddlebackgauchoathletics
#GiddyUpGauchos