Community College Football : Gasser Delivers Saddleback Win

Saddleback College quarterback Howard Gasser threw five touchdown passes, three to Scott Miller, as the Gauchos defeated Citrus, 55-9, Saturday in a Mission Conference football game on Saddleback Field in front of 1,500.

Gasser, a sophomore from Laguna Hills High School, was 15 of 21 for 282 yards in 2 1/2 quarters before he left the game. His five touchdown passes tied the Orange County single-game record held by five others. Gasser also extended his streak of passes without an interception to 172 passes over seven games.

The victory also keeps Saddleback (7-2 overall, 7-1 in conference play), which has won six straight, in a tie for first place with Orange Coast, which defeated Palomar, 37-23, Saturday. Saddleback plays at Rancho Santiago, and OCC is at Citrus in the final regular-season games next Saturday.

Saddleback came out in a no-huddle offense and scored 28 points in the first half to take control and a 28-3 lead. Gasser completed a nine-yard pass play for a touchdown to Dave Patstone to take a 7-0 lead with 13:19 left in the first quarter. Gasser later hit Miller for scoring passes of 37 and 62 yards in the second quarter. The same pair connected for a 12-yard touchdown pass play in the third quarter.

Miller, who has 53 receptions this season, had 7 catches for 183 yards.

Saddleback also played very well on defense, allowing only 32 net yards rushing and 255 in total offense. Saddleback blitzed often and had 8 sacks for minus 40 yards.

In other South Coast Conference play:

Golden West 10, Cerritos 7--Andre Shrouds caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from Bill Marler with no time remaining in the game for the victory before 2,000 at Cerritos.

Shrouds’ game-winner was set up two plays earlier by a 15-yard penalty against Cerritos for having too many men on the field.

Fullerton 10, Compton 10--Andy Greer scored on a 1-yard run with 6:22 left in the game for the Hornets, who rallied from a 10-0 deficit, at Fullerton District Stadium. Greer had 102 yards in 26 carries for the Hornets (4-3-1, 3-1-2).