Bobcats outclass the Mounties 58-28 in playoff win

Kavaughn Clark sprinting through the Mounties’ defense  Nick Adamson | Lariat

The Saddleback College Bobcats’ 30-point win was the largest margin of victory in series history against the Mt. San Antonio College Mounties. This playoff win solidifies Saddleback’s spot in the regional finals against Golden West College.

From Hail Mary catches to blocked punts, this game had it all. 

The Bobcats won the coin toss and elected to defer, giving the ball to Mt. San Antonio to start the game. This proved to be a good decision as the Bobcats’ defense forced a quick three-and-out. 

Sophomore defensive back Jacob Sekiyoba even more so proved this to be a good decision as he blocked the Mounties’ punt attempt. Setting up the Bobcats’ offense with excellent field position.

Jacob Sekiyoba celebrating his punt block  Nick Adamson | Lariat

The Bobcats did not squander this opportunity, scoring on their very first play. Sophomore running back Darrien Campbell carried the ball on an outside run to the right all the way to the endzone. 

But Mt. San Antonio didn’t give up that easily, driving 75 yards to tie it 7-7. No one knew it yet, but this proved to be the peak of the Mounties’ offense for the day. 

This drive did not deter the Bobcats, as they went on an impressive eight-play drive resulting in a touchdown. Out of the eight plays on this drive, Freshman running back Kavaughn Clark carried the ball six times. Clark also scored the touchdown, giving Saddleback a 14-7 lead.

After another defensive stop and an impressive drive, the Bobcats scored again when Campbell trucked through two defenders on his way into the endzone. 

Darrien Campbell fighting through defenders for a touchdown  Nick Adamson | Lariat

With a 21-7 lead, Saddlebacks’ defense was looking strong when Sekiyoba intercepted a pass from Mt. San Antonio Sophomore quarterback Daunte Bell. Then the referees struck, calling a phantom holding penalty on Saddleback, canceling the interception and keeping the Mounties in the game. 

“There were some critical moments where we thought we got the short end of the stick,” said Head Coach Jeff Fischer. “But our kids were resilient and battled through it while continuing to make plays.” 

This was not the only instance of a penalty being called on Saddleback to negate a big play, as it felt like the referees were favoring Mt. San Antonio on the 50/50 calls. 

After being gifted a second chance from the referees, Bell completed a 15-yard pass to Sophomore receiver RJ Willis for a touchdown, cutting the lead to 21-14 with around 6 minutes left in the half. 

The Bobcats would have an inefficient drive after getting the ball back, leading to a punt. 

With around a minute left in the half, the Bobcats’ defense stood strong, forcing another quick three-and-out, giving their offense a chance for one last play. 

With five seconds left on the clock, Saddleback lined up for the final play of the half. You could hear from the Mounties sideline coaches yelling to their defense, “You know what’s coming, they’re going to try it!” 

Sophomore quarterback Tyler Dudden got the hike and dropped back, allowing his receivers to get as far as they could down the field. He heaved the ball high up into the air, obviously far enough to make it to the endzone. 

That’s when Sophomore receiver Nick Gentilella leaped into the air and snatched the ball over two defenders, falling to the ground with possession, completing the Hail Mary catch with no time left in the half. This gave Saddleback a two-touchdown lead going into halftime. 28-14.

Nick Gentilella praying before the game  Nick Adamson | Lariat

The Mounties were not the same after this catch, coming out completely dejected for the second half. 

With Saddleback set to receive the kickoff to start the second half, this game could get out of hand quickly for the Mounties, and it did. 

Saddleback’s quarterback, Tyler Dudden, decided it was his turn to run and went on an incredible nine-yard scamper, hurdling and then trucking a Mountie defender to get the Bobcats into scoring position.

Tyler Dudden hurdling over Mountie defender  Nick Adamson | Lariat

Clark finished the drive and scored on a three-yard rush into the endzone. Giving the Bobcats a 35-14 lead.

With the game almost already out of hand for the Mounties, they could not afford to make anymore mistakes. Unfortunately, they fumbled on the kickoff return after the Saddleback score. 

Saddleback recovered the fumble and drove the ball right through the heart of the Mounties’ defense for another rushing touchdown. This one coming from Campbell, finishing his day with three rushing touchdowns and 78 yards on 12 carries. 

The Mounties’ offense finally got to see the field for the first time of the second half, already down 42-14. The mountain of points to climb was just too much.

They ended up having to punt again after stalling on offense, giving the ball back to an already hot Saddleback offense. 

Dudden then rushed down the field again, this time for 27 yards. After an incompletion, Clark got four consecutive handoffs, going for 37 yards and a touchdown.

Clark had 110 yards on 15 carries and three total touchdowns for the day. 

With the lead now 49-14, the Bobcats put it in cruise control to burn the rest of the time left on the clock. But you can only go so far until you have to put it in the end zone. 

That’s when the Bobcats called Freshman running back Leonidis Bell’s number. Bell ran for a one-yard touchdown, and Saddleback’s seventh total rushing touchdown for the day. 

I asked Saddleback’s head coach, Jeff Fischer, if his team planned to exploit the Mounties’ defense on the ground. 

“We talked about it all week,” said Fischer. “The goal was for us to be able to run the ball versus their pressures, and be able to stop their running back, who was their conference player of the year. Our guys bought in and did a great job. Our running backs ran phenomenally and our o-line played great!”

It was clear that the entire offense, along with the defense, was in sync and performing at a high level.

I also spoke with Darrien Campbell, Saddleback’s starting running back, about what he saw in the defense. 

“I just think we are a very confident team,” said Campbell. “Pregame we came out and a lot of words were said, and I say you can’t tweak with the tweakers.” 

Darrien Campbell celebrating his touchdown run  Nick Adamson | Lariat

I also asked Campbell how he felt about coming up big for his team in the playoffs. 

“It means a lot, man, it means a lot. I missed a few games at the start of the year, but got to start today. That was crazy, man.” 

I concur that it was a crazy as well as an important game.

Saddleback will play in the Southern Regional Championship against Golden West College next Saturday in Huntington Beach at 12 pm. 

The winner of the Southern Regional Championship will play in the State Championship game against the winner of the San Mateo vs Modesto Northern Regional Final.

The State Championship game will be played at the home field of the Southern Regional Champion on December 13th. 

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