COMMUNITY COLLEGE FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Fausto Has Heart in Dons’ Victory

Rancho Santiago found a quarterback and a great deal of heart in its 37-35 victory over Palomar in a Mission Conference football game Saturday at Santa Ana Stadium.

With 50 seconds left, Mark Fausto, the Dons’ third quarterback of the game, threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to tight end Chad Flick, who reached over the defensive back for the ball in the front corner of the end zone to score the winning touchdown.

“He makes things happen,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said about Fausto. “He runs around and he’s really a good athlete. He looks like the starter but things will still be really competitive.”

Palomar (1-1), ranked ninth in the nation by the J.C. Grid-Wire, reached the Rancho Santiago 35 with five seconds to play but Peter Baldwin’s 51-yard field-goal attempt was short.

Fausto, a freshman who sat out last season, was nine of 16 for 160 yards and two touchdowns. His other touchdown pass was for 47 yards to Flick early in the fourth quarter. Fausto also was the Dons’ leading rusher with 41 yards in five carries.

Grant Mitchell started for the Dons (1-1) but was replaced by Rob Petko, who was eight of 14 for 94 yards with a touchdown. Petko also saw a pass intercepted and returned for a touchdown.

The Dons’ defense also made a few things happen. After falling behind, 14-0, Rancho Santiago’s comeback was started by sophomore defensive back Andre Holmes, the conference’s player of the year as a freshman.

Holmes blocked a punt and recovered it at the Palomar five. The Dons scored a touchdown two plays later. But the biggest play of the game belonged to cornerback James Stewart. He intercepted a pass and ran 61 yards down the right sideline to score with 5:35 left to play. The Dons then went for two and Fausto completed the pass to Flick in the middle of the end zone for a 30-29 lead.

Palomar scored to go ahead, 35-30, when quarterback Chris Keldorf completed a 16-yard pass to Jason Mahaffey with 3:29 left. Keldorf was hurt on the play and reserve John Martinez threw incomplete on the two-point conversion.