Gauchos Flex their Muscles,Win 41-15
PRESSING ON
As the stadium clock read 6 p.m. the Saddleback Gauchos completed their warm up on the field, while the opposing team had yet to arrive. Many were questioning whether the game time had been changed.
An hour later, everyone was in attendance and the referees signaled for the coin toss. The weather was cool and crisp as the Gauchos were set to play their second game of the season against the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles. The Gauchos went on to win the game 41-15.
The bleachers quickly filled up with family and friends, anxious for the team to mark it’s first victory of the season. As the Gaucho’s starting quarterback Brian Shrock sat out with an ankle injury from the previous game, David Ingram filled in ready to put scores up on the scoreboard.
As the first quarter got under way, the Eagles picked up 40 yards on the first play by a kick going out of bounds, The Gauchos route was on. An incomplete pass which was batted down by Saddleback linebacker Tyler Bundgard. By the end of the first quarter, Gauchos runningback Micah Abreu-Laybon picked up yards helping the team advance down the field, leading to it’s first touchdown of the night by Ingram. Abreu-Laybon finished the day with 109 yards on just 10 carries.
In the first half the Gauchos looked strong which showed on the scoreboard at halftime they lead 27-0.
The second half of the game, the Gauchos had set the pace for both teams. With 13:02 on the clock, Ingram made an 11yard pass to wide receiver Jay Wisner, making it a first down.
Soon after, runningback Abreu-Laybon finished the drive with a 15-yard rush for a touchdown, putting the game at 41-0. Although the scoreboard had remained at zero for the Eagles, with less than a minute to go in the third quarter, Eagle’s Quarterback Collin Wigely completed a pass for 18 yards to Pete Courtney, which led to their first touchdown of the night, with a score of 41-8, after a successful two point conversion.
Ending his run for the night, Ingram made the most of the opportunity as he connected on 14-of-16 pass attempts for 219 yards and 2 touchdowns. He was not intercepted and was only sacked once. He also ran for 50 yards and a touchdown. For the second week in a row Jay Wisner was the Gauchos leading receiver with 5 receptions for 97 yards.
Sophomore Abreu-Laybon appeared successful at his first game of the season as he ran for 2 touchdowns and was credited for 2 receiving touchdowns. He had 100 rushing yards in the first half, and picked up another 30 all- purpose yards during the second half Abreu-Laybon finished the game with 109 rushing yards on 10 carries, with 40 receiving yards.
With the fourth quarter under way, things got off to a slow start, Gauchos quarterback Joe Arreguin threw 2 incomplete passes, turning the ball over to the Eagles with a beautiful 34 yard punt by Morris Keseloff. On a drive late in the final quarter, Eagle’s Wigely threw a 24 yard pass to Courtney, adding a second touchdown, ending the game score at 41-15.
The Gauchos still had alot of penalties in the game 8 yellow flags for a total of 88 yards.
Both the Gauchos offense and defense remained strong from start to finish. They dominated the running game, 209 yards, as well as passing 244 yards. They ended with a perfect 5-for-5 in red zone scoring chances on the night. The loss for the Eagles puts them at 0-2 on the season as the Gauchos move back to .500 with a 1-1 record on the short season.The Gauchos had no turn-overs in the game. While they had 1 interception.
Saddleback will travel to San Bernardino Valley which is winless on the season. The two teams will square off next saturday night at 6 p.m.
Upcoming Games: 9/20 at San Bernadino 6pm9-27 Mt. San Antonio 6pm10/4 Santa Ana 6pm10-11 at Palomar 1pm10-18 LB City 6pm10-25 at Fullerton 6pm11-1 Orange Coast 6pm11-15 at Grossmont 6pm11-22 Bowl Weekend TBA