Hoover, Saddleback Find the Drive to Beat Dons

Quarterback Adam Hoover ran 15 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 30 seconds to play as host Saddleback upset Santa Ana, 25-23, in a Mission Conference Central Division football game Saturday.

Hoover’s score capped a 74-yard drive that included completions of 47 and 15 yards. Hoover completed a 15-yard pass to Mark Tapley to get to the Santa Ana 10, but the Gauchos lost five on a penalty before Hoover scored on a draw play.

Hoover finished with 373 yards passing, completing 28 of 41 passes. He also scored on a five-yard run in the third quarter.

His touchdown run gave Saddleback (3-4, 1-1) a 25-21 lead but Santa Ana got closer thanks to defensive back James Farley.

Farley intercepted a pass on the two-point conversion attempt and went 99 yards to cut the lead to 25-23.

Santa Ana then got as close as the Saddleback 49 before Scott Kirby sacked quarterback Grant Wagner as time ran out.

The loss ended Santa Ana’s four-game winning streak.

Tapley had 11 catches for 153 yards and also rushed for 72 in nine carries for Saddleback.

Cameron King gained more than 200 yards rushing for the third time this season, with 209 yards in 28 carries for Santa Ana (4-3, 1-1). Wagner passed for 183 yards, completing 15 of 21.

In another Central Division games:

Fullerton 33, Golden West 6--Fullerton, frustrated by losing leads in two previous games, had no such trouble against Golden West.

The Hornets broke open a close game with 17 points in a two-minute span late in the first half.

Golden West turnovers accounted for 14 of 17 points. Jim Zurn kicked a 26-yard field goal to put Fullerton up, 13-0, with 2 minutes 32 seconds left in the half.

Golden West then gained a yard in three plays and Luke Dunbar went back to punt. But the snap was low and skipped past Dunbar. Fullerton’s Duane Johnson picked up the ball at the Golden West 15 and went the rest of the way for a touchdown with 1:30 left in the half.

Johnson also had a 33-yard run on a reverse and had an interception earlier in the half.

Golden West’s Damien Cook then fumbled on the next play from scrimmage and the ball was recovered by Fullerton’s David Goodloe, who broke his hand earlier in the game but stayed in.

Fullerton scored four plays later on a one-yard run by Prescott Hill to take a 27-0 lead with 27 seconds left in the half.

Fullerton was coming off a 31-17 loss to Santa Ana in which the Hornets led, 17-7, and a 21-18 loss to Pasadena in which they were up, 12-0.

Zurn had a strong game but didn’t have to work too hard. He was four of four on field goals--although the longest was from 26 yards--and also kicked three extra points.

In a Northern Division game:

Orange Coast 29, Pasadena 26--OCC’s Jared Flint completed a 51-yard touchdown pass to David Castleton and an 11-yard touchdown pass to Ben Fredricksen in the fourth quarter to give the Pirates (3-4, 1-1) the comeback victory.

Flint completed 24 of 49 passes for 325 yards and three touchdowns and Ray Ohrel had 14 receptions for 136 yards and a touchdown.