COMMUNITY COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Banged-Up Rancho Santiago Loses

Rancho Santiago College, playing without four starters--including quarterback Rich Fanti--because of injuries, lost to Long Beach, 22-12, in a Mission Conference game Saturday at Santa Ana Stadium.

Besides Fanti, the Dons (1-3, 1-2) also started the game without tailback Alex Ripley, who has a bruised thigh, and linebacker Ron Schaefer, who has a bruised shoulder. Things hardly got better when linebacker Scott Strini twisted an ankle early in the game. He spent the second half on crutches.

Mike Guerrero started at quarterback in place of Fanti, who is out with a bruised knee. Guerrero completed 13 of 29 passes for 200 yards, including a 60-yard touchdown pass to Trent Julian in the third quarter. But Guerrero was intercepted three times.

Long Beach, which had scored only 24 points in its first four games, broke loose for 22 in a little less than two minutes of the first half.

Chris Shockley scored on a 14-yard run to give the Vikings (1-4, 1-2) a 7-0 lead with 4 minutes 12 seconds left in the first quarter.

After three plays, Rancho Santiago lined up to punt, but the attempt was blocked by Chris Love at about the Rancho Santiago eight. Love recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchdown with 2:30 left in the quarter.

On the ensuing kickoff, Rancho Santiago’s Acen Chiles started up the right side, but took a tremendous head-first hit from Anthony Blalock near the 20. The ball came loose and was picked up by Long Beach’s Dante Lewis at the 14 and taken into the end zone.

On the extra-point try, the snap was high, but Shockley, the holder, reached high for it and raced around right end for the two-point conversion and a 22-0 Long Beach lead with 2:19 left in the half.