Bobcats knock off Olympians

The Saddleback football team won its biggest game in years with a 26-24 victory over San Diego Mesa College on Saturday night in San Diego.  The Bobcats have now won four straight games.

Saddleback entered as a decided underdog as Mesa came into the battle ranked No. 5 in the latest California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) state poll and No. 6 in the nation in the JCGridiron Dirty 30 Rankings.  The Bobcats turned the tables on the Olympians, scoring 26 on a team that had surrendered just 29 points all season coming into the contest.

Saddleback was solid on both sides of the ball, dominating the opening half in taking a 17-0 lead into the locker room. 

Saddleback marched down the field on its opening drive and managed a 32-yard field goal from Sean Olvera-Harle in grabbing a 3-0 lead.  The Bobcats then made it 10-0 just over three minutes later when Trey Kukuk ran for a 1-yard score.  Late in the first quarter, Saddleback ran the lead to 17-0 when Kukuk found Andrez Lewis open for an 8-yard touchdown.

Saddleback's defense was also up to the task, keeping the Olympians off the board.  The Bobcats made a big stop on the second drive for Mesa when Joseph Malfavon stuffed a running play on fourth and one.  Saddleback's special teams also made a big play when Jackson Irwin stepped in front of a punt. 

San Diego Mesa made things interesting in the second half when they surged back into the game with a field goal and touchdown on their first two drives to get within 17-10.  The Bobcats answered the call, driving 75 yards in 10 plays.  Saddleback extended the lead when Kukuk found Dane Benedix along the sidelines, and he broke a tackle and scampered 24 yards for a score.  Saddleback missed the extra point in taking a 23-10 lead with 11:54 left in the fourth quarter. 

Mesa again showed resiliency, driving 75 yards on a Saddleback defense that was starting to wear down.  The Olympians cut the lead to six with 9:04 remaining when Jax Leatherwood found Dazure Paggett in the back of the end zone for a score to cut the lead to 23-17.

Saddleback's offense went back to work.  The Bobcats caught a break when Mesa was whistled for unnecessary roughness on the kickoff, giving the Bobcats the ball in Mesa territory to start the drive.  Saddleback made the best of the chance, holding on to the ball for 5:24 while getting deep into Olympian territory.  The Bobcat fans erupted when kicker Sean Olvera-Harle connected for a 22-yard field goal to increase the lead to 26-17 with 3:40 on the clock.

San Diego Mesa made things interesting at the end when it seemed as if Saddleback was going to cruise across the finish line.  The Olympians returned a punt 95 yards for a touchdown with 1:04 remaining on the clock to close within 26-24.  Mesa then attempted an onsides kick that was recovered by Saddleback, thus ending any chance of a heroic comeback. 

Kukuk finished 11-for-20 for 136 yards and two touchdown passes.  He also led the team in rushing with 46 yards and a score.  Benedix led all receivers with four catches for 53 yards and a score.

The 26-24 win was Saddleback's fourth straight win of the season.  The Bobcats (4-1, 2-0) now sit on top of the National Division Southern League standings alongside Riverside City College in a two-way tie. 

Saddleback has next week off before continuing Southern League play on October 19 at Palomar College.