Big Plays Guide Mt. SAC to a 50-18 Rout of Valley : College football: Two blocked kicks and a punt return for a touchdown help Mounties erase halftime deficit.

For the second consecutive year, Valley College lost its football opener to Mt. San Antonio College.

And for the second consecutive year, poor special-teams play cost the Monarchs dearly.

Mt. SAC blocked two punts to set up scores and returned a another for a touchdown in a 50-18 rout.

Last year, a Valley kickoff return for a touchdown was called back and a fumbled kickoff set up Mt. SAC’s go-ahead score in a four-point Mountie win.

Saturday, Valley led at halftime, but the Monarchs’ lead evaporated quickly in the third quarter.

First Mt. SAC (2-0) blocked an Edward Bunn punt to set up a 39-yard field goal by Edward Sanchez that gave the Mounties a 20-18 lead.

Then, after another Valley punt, Mt. SAC running back Nigel Bostic (who finished with 100 yards in 11 carries) took a pitchout and went 52 yards down the left sideline to give Mt. SAC a 27-18 lead with 12 minutes 22 seconds left in the third quarter.

Jeremy Smith returned the next Valley punt 51 yards for a touchdown, and when LaShawn Thompson scored on a six-yard run to cap a 50-yard drive, Mt. SAC had a 40-18 lead with 4:57 left in the third quarter.

Valley led, 18-17, at halftime after several brawls emptied both benches with 16 seconds left in the second quarter.

The fight started when Bostic was pushed out of bounds at the Valley 49-yard line after a 12-yard run.

A scuffle followed and it quickly erupted into a full-blown free-for-all.

After order was restored, Valley was assessed a 15-yard personal-foul penalty and the half ended when Sanchez missed a 51-yard field-goal attempt.

Before the fighting broke out, quarterback Mark Mengoni had led Valley on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that gave the Monarchs their lead.

Mengoni, a sophomore from Grant High, had replaced Valley starter Trendell Williams, who completed five of 11 passes for 136 yards but threw three interceptions.

Mengoni completed three of five passes for 40 yards during the drive and also ran 12 yards for a first down on a third-and-eight play from the Valley 38, keeping the drive alive.

James Keyes scored on his second one-yard touchdown run of the half with 1:41 left to give the Monarchs the lead, but it was Mengoni’s 22-yard pass to Louis Green that set up the score.

Leading, 14-12, Mt. SAC moved ahead 17-12 on Sanchez’s 32-yard field goal with 4:33 left in the half.

The field goal had been set up by Tahrell Miles’ interception of a Williams’ pass at the Valley 36-yard line.