Cats run away from Mounties for berth in SoCal regional final

MISSION VIEJO - The Saddleback football team advanced to the Southern California Regional Finals with a 58-28 victory over Mt. San Antonio College on Saturday inside the stadium.  The Bobcats will play at Golden West College next Saturday for a spot in the state finals.

Saddleback controlled play from the outset.  The Bobcats made a stop on the opening possession and then blocked the punt when Jacob Sekiyoba swatted the ball and Max Krosky fell on it at the nine-yard line for the first big play of the game.  On the very next play, Darrien Campbell raced around the right side and went into the end zone untouched to give the Bobcats an early lead.

Mt. San Antonio answered with a 12-play, 75-yard drive that lasted 5:52 and tied the game when Aiden Ramos plowed over the goalline from one-yard out.  It would end up being the best drive of the day for the Mounties, who struggled offensively the rest of the way against a stingy Saddleback defense.

Saddleback wasted no time responding, orchestrating an 8-play drive that featured a lot of running back Kavaughn Clark.  The sensational freshman from Peoria, Arizona, ran the ball six times on the drive, including a 37-yard run that set up first-and-goal from the three-yard line.  Clark (pictured) would eventually score on a one-yard run for a 14-7 lead.

Following a defensive stop, Saddleback got the ball back with under a minute remaining in the opening quarter and put together another punishing drive that lasted 4:49. The Bobcats capped it off when Campbell ran over a couple of defenders on way to a 14-yard touchdown run and a 21-7 lead.

Saddleback led 21-14 late in the first half and got the ball back with five seconds remaining on the clock at the Mt. San Antonio 40-yard line.  The Bobcats had time for one "Hail Mary" pass, and Tyler Dudden lofted a ball into the middle of the end zone where Nicholas Gentilella snagged it out of the air for an unexpected score.  The stunning turn of events seemed to take the wind out of the Mounties, who never recovered.

Saddleback took the ball to open the second half and drove 61 yards on eight plays, capped off with a three-yard score from Clark.  It was the second of three scores on the day for Clark and one of seven touchdowns on the ground for the Bobcats. 

On the next play, Saddleback kicked off and Mt. San Antonio fumbled on the play, allowing the Bobcats to take over on the Mounties' 35-yard line.  Saddleback found paydirt again when Campbell scored his third touchdown of the game on a 10-yard run for a 42-14 lead with 9:29 left in the third quarter.

Following another stop from the defense, Saddleback then engineered a six-play drive and scored the backbreaker when Clark scored his third touchdown on a 19-yard run for a 49-14 advantage.

Saddleback kept the ball on the ground for most of the remainder of the game.  The Bobcats defense forced another turnover late in the game when Ali'i Letuli sacked the Mt. San Antonio quarterback and forced a fumble that was picked up by Charles Ebuzeme at the Mounties' 10-yard line.  Three plays later, Leonidas Bell plowed over from one-yard out for the seventh rushing touchdown of the game and a 55-14 lead.  Mt. San Antonio would block the extra point and return it for a two-point conversion in what was a rare high point for the Mounties the entire half.

Saddleback finished with a 523-305 advantage in total yardage for the game.  The Bobcats had 285 yards rushing...averaging 6.1 yards-per-carry.

Clark finished with a game-high 110 yards on 15 carries with three scores while Campbell had 12 carries for 78 yards and three scores.  Francisco Martinez had a team-high four catches for 62 yards receiving.  Dudden finished 12-of-23 for 203 yards passing and a touchdown while rushing for 55 yards on the ground.

As great as the offense was, the Saddleback defense was every bit as impressive throughout.  The Bobcats had six sacks and eight tackles-for-loss on the day while forcing three turnovers.  Brandon Ross, Jack Knudtson and Dominic Lopez all lead the way with four total tackles apiece.

Saddleback improved to 10-1 with the win and has now won eight straight games.  The Bobcats will play at Golden West College next Saturday in the regional finals with a spot in the 3C2A State Championship Game on the line.

GAME NOTES:  The 58 points was the most points scored by Saddleback since scoring 62 against Grossmont College during the 2023 season.  The 30-point win over Mt. San Antonio was the largest winning margin for Saddleback in series history, eclipsing a 27-point win over the Mounties in 2006 (37-10).

(Brad Hoiseth, Saddleback College Athletics)