Saddleback Claims Orange County Crown by Routing Fullerton

For years, Saddleback College has been regarded as the second-best community college football team in Orange County, but no longer.

Saturday afternoon in the fifth PONY Bowl, the passing and running of quarterback Jason Schmid led the Gauchos to a decisive 32-13 victory over Fullerton before 7,200 fans in Costa Mesa’s LeBard Stadium.

Mission Conference champion Saddleback finished 11-0 for the second time since 1981, and, more importantly, defeated the Pac-9 Conference champion Hornets (8-3), who have been the dominant county team for most of the last 25 years, for the first time.

The Gauchos, who went into the game ranked No. 2 in the nation behind Snow College of Utah by the JC Grid Wire, probably will end up in the second spot. Snow defeated Northeastern Oklahoma, 29-14, Saturday in the Mid-American Bowl in Tulsa to complete an 11-0 year.

The final rankings will be released Monday.

Schmid, the game’s Most Valuable Player, completed 16 of 27 attempts for 199 yards and 2 touchdowns and rushed for a game-high 87 yards in 20 carries. The sophomore from Foothill High School finished the year with a school record 2,682 yards and 23 touchdowns.

Yet it was Saddleback’s defense which Coach Ken Swearingen credited the victory.

“They (Fullerton) scored one touchdown on a fake field goal, and one on a fumble,” Swearingen said. “We were very physical on defense and made them make some mistakes.”

Fullerton’s mistakes were both numerous and costly.

Richard Williams, the Hornets’ redshirt freshman quarterback, mishandled and fumbled two snaps in the first quarter, helping the Gauchos to a 14-0 lead.

The first fumble came at the Fullerton 30-yard line midway through the quarter. It was recovered by Marc Marchetti, and four plays later, Saddleback took a 7-0 lead when Roger Fickling scored on a 1-yard run.

On Fullerton’s ensuing possession, Williams fumbled the ball to Jeff Kelly at the Saddleback 46, ending a promising Hornet drive and setting up the Gauchos’ second score, which came on a 10-yard pass from Jungkeit to Schmid.

The Hornets made it 14-7 early in the second quarter when they fooled Saddleback with a fake field goal. Dean Hankins ran 13 yards for the touchdown to cap an 81-yard, 9-play drive.

The key play of the game came with just more than a minute left in the half. Fullerton backup quarterback Mike Zorn, who has shared duties with Williams all year, was sacked by Saddleback’s Neil Wallner at the Saddleback 43. Not only did Zorn fumble, but he suffered a sprained right ankle and was sidelined the rest of the afternoon.

The Gauchos moved the ball to the Fullerton 39, and then Swearingen called on Tracy Rutkowski, another former Foothill star, to try a 49-yard field goal. Rutkowski’s kick was good with several yards to spare, setting a school record and giving Saddleback a 17-7 advantage.

A 27-yard punt by Fullerton’s Gus Madrigal gave Saddleback the ball at midfield to start its first possession of the second half. The opportunistic Gauchos promptly drove 50 yards on four plays to take a commanding 24-7 lead. The touchdown came on a 12-yard run by Schmid, who surprised the Hornet defense several times with quarterback draws.

Fullerton cut the lead to 24-13 six minutes later when end Benjamin Vega stole the ball from Schmid and raced 45 yards for a touchdown. Saddleback’s Yepi Pauu blocked Todd Reynolds’ extra-point try.

Saddleback’s defense, led by linebackers Pauu and Jay Wilkerson, limited Fullerton, which had been averaging more than 400 yards per game, to 243. The Gauchos had 372 total yards.