Rancho Santiago Is Set for Big Weekend

Three of Rancho Santiago’s teams are in a position to make it a memorable weekend for the Dons.

The football team, coached by Dave Ogas, is making its first postseason appearance since 1989, when the Dons take on Los Angeles Valley at 1:30 p.m. Saturday in the Simple Green Bowl at Orange Coast College. This will be the teams’ first meeting.

Rancho Santiago, ranked No. 1 in Southern California and sixth in the nation, has won nine in a row. The Dons have outscored opponents, 398-163, in that span.

The Rancho Santiago men’s soccer team will appear in its first State tournament Saturday at Consumnes River College in Sacramento.

The Dons, coached by J.P. Frutos, won the Orange Empire Conference title and then beat San Diego Mesa and Glendale in the playoffs to earn the berth.

The Dons (17-2-3) play DeAnza (17-0-2) in one semifinal at 2 p.m. East Los Angeles (19-2-1) plays American River (15-2-6) in the other at 11. The title game will be at 2 p.m. Sunday.

In wrestling, Rancho Santiago, coached by Gary deBeaubien and Frank Gonzales, qualified seven athletes for the State meet, Friday and Saturday at Rio Hondo College in Whittier.

Among the Dons who qualified is Matt Padgett (167 pounds), who was the most valuable wrestler in Southern California. Padgett, from Canyon High, won the State title last year in the same weight class.

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More Football: Rancho Santiago isn’t the only Orange County team in a bowl game Saturday. Gene Murphy’s Fullerton Hornets travel to Santa Maria to play Hancock College in the K-Swiss Bowl at 1 p.m.

Fullerton (6-3-1) last played in a bowl game in 1991, when the Hornets beat Santa Barbara, 45-13, in the Shrine Potato Bowl.

Fullerton already has set single-season records for pass completions (208) and first downs (210) and has players on the verge of setting individual season marks.

But Murphy has asked that information about which records could be broken not be made public until after the game.

“After our performance the last two weeks (Fullerton lost to Rancho Santiago, 34-7, then beat Southwestern, 52-42) I think it’s time we remember football is a team game,” Murphy said. “Individual records may be nice to look at after the season, but what’s important now is that we go to Santa Maria and win the game.”

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Basketball: Orange Coast and Golden West play host to men’s tournaments and Cypress plays host to a women’s tournament this week.

The Orange Coast tournament, which starts Thursday, has an impressive field that includes Long Beach, the defending State champion, Los Angeles City, ranked No. 1 in the first State poll, and Chaffey, third in the same poll.

In the first round, Orange Coast plays Chaffey at 2 p.m.; Los Angeles City plays Irvine Valley at 4 p.m., Santa Barbara takes on the Blue Angels of Seattle at 6 p.m. and Imperial Valley plays Long Beach at 8 p.m.

The Blue Angels of Seattle are a team of Christian athletes that includes former Long Beach State standout Frankie Edwards.

The Golden West tournament starts today, with Citrus vs. Glendale at 6 p.m. and Concordia JV and Golden West playing at 8 p.m.

The first-round continues Thursday with Mt. San Antonio vs. Riverside at 6 p.m. and Cypress vs. Cerritos at 8 p.m.

Both tournaments continue Friday and the championship games are on Saturday at 7 p.m. at Golden West and at 8 p.m. at Orange Coast.

In the first round of the Cypress women’s tournament Thursday, San Diego Mesa plays Ventura at 2 p.m.; Grossmont plays Citrus at 4 p.m.; Long Beach takes on Antelope Valley at 6 p.m. and Mt. San Jacinto meets Cypress at 8 p.m. The tournament continues Friday and the title game is scheduled at 4 p.m. Saturday.