COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Rancho Santiago Clinches Share of Title

Rancho Santiago got a championship-caliber performance from its defense Saturday and the result was just that.

The Dons beat Fullerton, 34-7, to win a share of the Central Division title of the Mission Conference before about 3,500 at Titan Stadium.

The teams were tied (4-0) for the division lead coming into the game. It was the eighth consecutive victory for the Dons (8-1), the top-ranked team in Southern California.

The loss stopped Fullerton’s four-game winning streak. The Hornets are 5-3-1.

The Dons’ swarming defensive unit made life horrible for Fullerton quarterback Marc O’Brien, who was sacked six times for minus 49 yards. He was pressured on almost every one of his 39 attempts. To his credit, he completed 22 passes for 187 yards.

Fullerton was held to 252 yards in total offense; Rancho Santiago had 404.

“Our whole game plan was to put pressure on their quarterback and get him riled,” Rancho Santiago defensive coordinator Tom Nelson said. “And we did.”

Andre Holmes, a freshman defensive back, was especially annoying. He had a couple of sacks, a key tackle behind the line of scrimmage and also got a hand on two field-goal attempts.

“It was the swarm,” Holmes said. “I just have to give it up to the coaches. They got us prepared.”

The key series in the game came when Rancho Santiago botched a punt attempt and Fullerton had a first down at the Dons’ six.

Fullerton reached the three but Holmes sacked O’Brien for an 11-yard loss on third down. He then partly blocked a field-goal attempt and Rancho Santiago held on to a 7-0 lead.

Rancho Santiago quarterback Simon Fuentes completed 11 of 15 passes for 215 yards and two touchdowns. The two touchdowns gave him a Rancho Santiago single-season record 18.

He had a touchdown pass of 42 yards to Jon Daniels with 13 minutes 27 seconds left in the first quarter and had another for 32 yards to Hector Flores. That one came with 3:01 left in the half and put Rancho Santiago ahead, 20-0.

Despite his exploits, Fuentes was more impressed with the play of the defense.

“I can’t believe our defense,” he said. “It was a team effort but they played great.”

Kevin Pola added touchdown runs of 13 and four yards and Ernie Wilson also scored on a two-yard run. Pola finished with 81 yards and Wilson had 70.

The title is the first for Rancho Santiago since 1971. It also means the Dons have earned an invitation to the Simple Green Orange County Bowl at Orange Coast on Dec. 3.

The victory gives Rancho Santiago a 34-33-4 lead in the series, the oldest in the State.

“I feel good,” said Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas just before he was carried off the field by his players. “My coaching staff and the players, that says it all right there.”

In other Mission Conference games:

Orange Coast 23, Saddleback 19--Visiting Orange Coast jumped to a 23-13 lead, then held on for the victory.

Quarterback Matt Sauk threw for 224 yards and two touchdowns and Jeff Clayton ran for 72 yards a touchdown in 25 carries.

Saddleback pulled to within 23-19 when quarterback Pat Wood hit Todd Thomas on a two-yard touchdown pass.

Scott Patton, who had returned an interception for a touchdown in the first quarter, intercepted his second pass of the night and returned it 29 yards into Orange Coast territory. Saddleback drove to the nine-yard line, but three incomplete passes by Wood ended Saddleback’s drive with 26 seconds remaining.

Riverside 31, Golden West 17--Damien Cook rushed for 82 yards and one touchdown and Brian Schneider threw for 158 yards and one touchdown for Golden West.