Saddleback Builds Record to 4-0 in Wrecking Irvine

This was supposed to be a rebuilding year for the Saddleback High School football team, but apparently somebody forgot to tell the Roadrunners.

Saddleback romped to its fourth victory in a row by trouncing Irvine, 41-0, Friday in a nonleague game at Santa Ana Stadium.

Saddleback (4-0) is the defending Southern Section Central Conference champion, but several key players from last season’s team had graduated. Many thought the Roadrunners would have to use their nonleague games strictly to prepare for the upcoming Sea View League season.

But it hasn’t worked out that way as the Roadrunners have picked up right where they left off.

The latest victim was Irvine (0-4), a team that saw any hopes for an upset dashed when Saddleback’s David Dudman returned the opening kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown.

Dudman, a 5-foot 10-inch, 160-pound junior, was the hero of the game for Saddleback, scoring two touchdowns and breaking Irvine’s heart with his kickoff return.

Last season, Saddleback seemed to be a two-man team composed of quarterback Myron Butler and tailback Glenn Campbell.

This season, more players are playing key roles. In the first three victories, quarterback Sean Therien and running back Nate Primous did most of the work.

Friday, it was players such as Dudman, backup quarterback Neil Carter and defensive back Frank Larriva.

Carter, in his first pass of the season, tossed a nifty 16-yarder to Billy Thurmond for a touchdown, giving Saddleback a 33-0 lead late in the third quarter.

One series earlier, Larriva picked up an Irvine fumble and ran 31 yards for a touchdown. Larriva’s play was typical of Saddleback’s defense, which played mistake-free ball and hit hard enough to punish.

This Friday night, Saddleback will get its stiffest challenge of the season so far when it plays at Capistrano Valley.