Saddleback’s Streak Isn’t New for Coach

Bill Cunerty is clearly a man who knows something about winning streaks and the Saddleback football team.

Either as the head coach, which is his current role, or as the offensive coordinator, he has been part of the three longest in school history.

Saddleback, which shared the national title with Blinn College in Texas last year, starts this season with a 17-game winning streak that dates back to the middle of the 1995 season, which was the first for Cunerty as head coach.

The streak, third longest in the program’s history, started after what Cunerty called one of the most frustrating losses of his career.

The loss was by a score of 25-14 to Fullerton. Saddleback appeared to have scored a go-ahead touchdown with about 45 seconds left to play, but it was called back when an offensive lineman was signaled for an illegal head slap. Fullerton’s Mike Flores then returned an interception 98 yards for a touchdown to finish off the Gauchos.

But Saddleback beat El Camino, 21-16, the next week and closed out the 1995 season with five more victories, including a 21-20 win over Mt. San Antonio in the Simple Green Orange County Bowl. The score stood when the Mounties went for a two-point conversion on the game’s final play and failed.

Saddleback finished 11-0 last season, and the streak was only really in danger once. Against Long Beach, the Gauchos rallied for a late touchdown and got a two-point conversion with 37 seconds left when Gabe Payne broke two tackles on an end around to win, 29-28.

Saddleback closed out a perfect season by defeating host Sacramento, 37-28, in the Shrine Bowl.

The Gauchos start this season with a 7 p.m. game Saturday at El Camino, which lost to Palomar, 40-15, Saturday.

Saddleback needs three victories to tie the second-best mark in the college’s history. The Gauchos won the last eight games of the 1991 season, went 11-0 in 1992 and won the first game in 1993. The record for Saddleback is 25 set from 1980 to 1982. The 1980 season was Cunerty’s first on staff.

But the longest streak in Orange County belongs to Fullerton College. The Hornets won 28 games in a row from 1966-68. The 28 victories were part of a 47-game unbeaten streak under then Coach Hal Sherbeck. The streak started with the third game of the 1964 season and continued until the eighth game of 1968, when the Hornets lost to San Diego City, 15-14.