Saddleback Bobcats claw through the Chaffey College Panthers on homecoming

Defensive back Roman Hardin forcing a safety against Chaffey’s running back  Nick Adamson | Lariat

The Bobcats put on a masterclass defensively in a blowout win over Chaffey on Saddleback’s homecoming game Saturday night. The final score was 54-14, with the defense accounting for 23 of the points. This win puts Saddleback 4-1 on the season and 2-0 in league play. 

On the first play of the game, Saddleback’s freshman linebacker Tmario Walter picked off Chaffey’s freshman quarterback Fransisco Villalbazo and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown. 

After an electric start, the Bobcats forced a three-and-out with Chaffey fumbling the ball backwards 13 yards. 

Chaffey would punt the ball out of bounds at the Bobcats’ 45-yard line. Saddleback would score on a ten-play drive ending with a pass from Freshman quarterback Tyler Dudden to Bobcats freshman receiver Kyle Bayle. 

The Panthers would get the ball back at the 27-yard line after a 24-yard return by Simon Zwick. Chaffey would then put the ball in the hands of Freshman quarterback Evan Powell. Powell would throw an interception on his first pass attempt, with Freshman defensive back Demari Washington getting the pick.

With great field position, the Bobcats would score on a seven-play drive, capping it off with another touchdown pass by Dudden to freshman receiver Joseph Walter. This touchdown gave the Bobcats a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. 

The Panthers would score in the second quarter, cutting the lead to 21-7. 

With the first half coming to an end and Chaffey with the ball, it was freshman defensive back Jaden Humphrey’s turn to step up as he got Saddleback’s second pick-six of the game. This defensive score pushed Saddleback’s lead to 28-7. 

Saddleback would drive down the field and kick a field goal on their first drive of the second half, extending their lead to 31-7.

Bobcats sophomore defensive back Roman Hardin would also get his name on the score sheet as he forced a safety, giving Saddleback another two points. 

The Panthers would score their final points when Evan Powell threw a 64-yard touchdown pass to sophomore receiver Nathan Enriquez, making the score 33-14. 

Tyler Dudden would throw his third and final touchdown pass of the game to freshman receiver Fransisco Martinez with 4 seconds left in the third quarter. 

The Bobcats’ offense would score again in the fourth when Jaylen Beverly-Rushing rumbled nine yards into the endzone. This touchdown pushed the Bobcats’ lead up to 47-14.

Roman Hardin would also get Saddleback’s third pick-six late in the fourth quarter.

“It was man to man,” Roman said. “Me and my buddy switched off, and I read the quarterback. It was a quick gain, and I saw the receiver run a big drag route. The ball came out, and I saw it go right into my chest. Then I turned on the burners.” 

Roman turned on the burners for 80 yards all the way to the endzone, giving the Bobcats a 40-point win over Chaffey.

“It sets a great tone, coming off a great team win against Riverside.” Roman said, “We’ve got to come this week and be completely prepared. There were a couple of mistakes, but we’ll definitely fix it next week. It just sets a great tone, you know, just to make no mistakes and practice hard.” 

Head Coach Jeff Fischer also seemed to be pleased with his defense’s execution.

“Defense did a phenomenal job; they scored 23 points on their own, which was huge.” Fischer said, “They made plays all night, kept them out of the endzone, got a safety and forced turnovers. They did a lot of really, really good things.” 

It was clear to everyone in the stadium that Saddleback’s defense was not to be trifled with.

The Bobcats are going into a bye week before traveling to play Mt. San Jacinto College on Oct. 9 at 6 pm. 

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