No. 1 Rustlers Two Wins From State Title, Host No. 2 Saddleback in SCFA Championship
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0 | 7 | 8 | 0 | 15 |
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6 | 17 | 0 | 10 | 33 |
Team Stats
Saddleback
| Game Statistics | Saddleback | Golden West |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 160 | 272 |
| Rushing Yards | 113 | 179 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 0 |
| Time of Poss. | 27:17 | 29:26 |
No. 1-seeded Golden West College will look to capture its first-ever Southern California Football Association (SCFA) Championship. On Saturday (Dec. 6), the Rustlers (11-0) host No. 2 Saddleback College (10-1) in the Southern California playoffs regional final at Rustler Stadium. Kick off is scheduled for noon in Huntington Beach.
Golden West reached Saturday's Southern California Championship after dispatching No. 4-seeded Ventura College last week by a final score of 56-38. The Rustlers completed an amazing fourth-quarter comeback to turn a deficit into a rout.
The Rustlers trailed the Pirates 31-21 at the 12:53 mark in the fourth quarter before Golden West responded with five straight touchdowns to put the game out of reach and take a commanding 56-31 lead.
Freshman wide receiver Tanner Schmidt, the National Central League Offensive Player of the Year, proved worthy of the award. He had a huge game in leading the Rustlers with 10 catches for 147 yards and 4 TDs.
His third touchdown of the contest, a 37-yard grab from quarterback Kauna'oa Kamakawiwo'ole with 10:05 left in the contest, put the Rustlers back out in front for good at 35-31. Kamakawiwo'ole had a solid game of his own as he completed 20 of 31 passes for 273 yards and 5 TDs.
Golden West takes a perfect 11-0 record into the SCFA final, matching the 2021 Rustlers squad that also reached the Southern California championship unbeaten at 11-0. That season, the Rustlers saw their SoCal and state championship run come to an end with a narrow 27-23 loss to Riverside.
Golden West in in search of its first football state championship in school history and is just two wins away from the feat.
TICKETS | Tickets to the state playoff game are available online in advance through the 3C2A tickets page.
Ticket prices are as follows:
Adult General Admission - $13
Student General Admission (High School/College) - $9
Seniors 60+ - $9
Children - $9
LIVE STREAM | The game will be broadcast live for free by SoCalCollegeSports on YouTube. Live play-by-play stats will also be available online at the GWC Athletics website.
ABOUT SADDLEBACK | Saddleback is the South's No. 2 seed and enters Saturday's contest with a 10-1 overall record having won eight straight games. The Bobcats were champions of the National Southern League with a perfect 7-0 mark. Saddleback's lone loss of the season came in Week 3, a 37-22 setback at Fullerton in a non-league game.
The Bobcats earned their spot in the SCFA Championship after taking out No. 3-seeded Mt. San Antonio College in an impressive 58-28 rout at home.
Saddleback racked up 523 yards of offense on a solid Mt. SAC defense. With the score tied 7-7 midway in the first quarter, the Bobcats went on to outscore the Mounties 48-7 to take a commanding 55-14 lead early in the fourth.
The Bobcats had 285 yards rushing, averaging 6.1 yards-per-carry, led by running back Kavaughn Clark who finished with a game-high 110 yards on 15 carries with 3 touchdowns. Darrien Campbell had 12 carries for 78 yards and three scores while receiver Francisco Martinez led Saddleback with a team-high 4 catches for 62 yards. Quarterback Tyler Dudden finished 12-of-23 for 203 yards passing and a touchdown while rushing for 55 yards on the ground.
Saddleback is also in search of its first state title in program history.
LAST MEETING | Orange County foes Golden West and Saddleback are facing off for the first time since 2022. The Rustlers were victorious in the Week 7 regular-season matchup in Mission Viejo, winning by a score of 21-6.
The Golden West defense allowed just 175 yards and a pair of field goals. Justin Hintze also sparked the defense with a 40-yard interception return for a touchdown early in the contest. Jared Johnson and Kross Antonnacchi had rushing TDs for the Rustlers.
Golden West has won the last two meetings, including a 34-3 victory in 2021. Since SCFA play began in 2008, Saddleback leads the series 7-5.
UP NEXT | The winner of Saturday's matchup advances to the 3C2A State Championship on Dec. 13 and will host the Northern California champion. NorCal No. 1 and defending state champion College of San Mateo (10-1) hosts No. 2 Modesto Junior College (9-2) also at noon in Saturdays' Northern California Football Conference (NCFC) Championship.
