Unbeaten Saddleback Stops Riverside in Season Finale

Saddleback’s offense was unable to put the game away, but the defense did, and the Gauchos completed an undefeated season with a 17-14 victory over Riverside in a Mission Conference Central Division football game Saturday.

Saddleback took a 17-7 lead, when the Gauchos’ Mark Reynosa was stopped for no gain on fourth and one at the Riverside 10 with four minutes 48 seconds left. Riverside then drove to the two. Ryan Pizinger scored on a two-yard run with 2:03 left to play.

Saddleback went three plays and punted, giving Riverside a first down at its 21 with 1:30 and no timeouts left.

On the first play, reserve quarterback Robert Farias was pressured by linebacker Joe Cesta, who knocked the ball loose. Brandon Smith, another linebacker, fell on it to secure the victory. Smith had his team-leading fourth interception earlier in the game.

“Joe made an incredible strip,” Smith said. “I did the easy part. I fell on the ball. We’ve been working hard for 10-0 all season.”

Said Cesta: “The defense never really worried about [Riverside scoring]. We knew we could stop them.”

The victory was the 16th in a row for Saddleback (10-0, 6-0), which is ranked second in the nation and No. 1 in the state. It’s still unclear who the Gauchos will meet or where in a bowl game, because most teams still have one game left.

“I honestly don’t know what’s going to happen,” Saddleback Coach Bill Cunerty said. “ . . . But it’s a thrill to win 10 games in this [conference].”

Saddleback used its Laguna Hills connection of quarterback Justin Vedder, running back Brendan McGraw and wide receiver Adam Roman to score its only second-half touchdown.

The first key play was a 40-yard pass from Vedder to McGraw that gave Saddleback a first down at the Riverside 18. After a running play, Vedder threw 14 yards to Adam Roman, who was open in the right corner of the end zone.

The score gave Saddleback a 17-7 lead with 2:35 left in the third quarter. It was the 32nd touchdown pass of Vedder’s Saddleback career, which ties Tim Snowden (1991-1992) for the college’s all-time mark.

Saddleback’s other touchdown came in the second quarter when Phillip Cruz scored from two yards with 2:53 left. The touchdown, which gave Saddleback a 10-7 lead, was set up by a trick play.

It started with Vedder throwing a quick slant to wide receiver Gabe Payne, who was heading toward the middle of the field. Just after catching the ball, Payne then pitched to McGraw who went around end the other way for a 14-yard gain to the Riverside two.

Vedder finished 18 of 29 for 229 yards with one interception and one touchdown.

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Saddleback’s Season

Game-by-game results of the Saddleback football team’s 10-0 season (* denotes Mission Conference opponent):

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59 Orange Coast *20 28 Mt. San Antonio 23 38 El Camino 7 29 Long Beach 28 33 Palomar *11 21 Pasadena 7 45 Golden West *6 34 Fullerton *20 35 Rancho Santiago *16 17 Riverside *14

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