Mt. SAC (3-0) remains undefeated after flexing its defensive and offensive muscles during a commanding 42-21 victory over the Allan Hancock Bulldogs (1-3) in Hilmer Lodge Stadium on Sept. 16.
The Mt. SAC defense forced two turnovers. Once on an interception by freshman defensive end Branyden Hapner (12) that resulted in a 4-yard rushing touchdown by sophomore wide receiver De’shon Thompson (14).
Meanwhile, sophomore quarterback Alex Flores (15) led the offense by going 14-for-21 while throwing 185 yards and rushing for two touchdowns on 17 yards.
“We won. That’s the most important thing. We came off a great game last week, and I was worried about a little letdown. But we knew what we were facing,” coach Bob Jastrab said.
The Mounties had a 14-point lead over the Bulldogs by the end of the first quarter.
Sophomore running back Nicholas Floyd (17) finished the game with 139 scrimmage yards. Floyd opened the scoring for Mt. SAC on its first drive of the game with a 30-yard touchdown, giving them an early 7-0 lead.
After the Bulldogs failed to cut the lead in their initial two drives, the Mounties took advantage and expanded the lead to 14-0 on a 4-yard rushing touchdown by Thompson.
The Bulldogs scored at the start of the second quarter on a 10-yard rushing touchdown by freshman running back Caden Harris (39) to narrow the gap to 14-7.
The Mounties answered quickly by scoring on a drive that lasted just over two minutes and ended on a 1-yard rushing touchdown by Flores to grow the lead to 21-7.
After the Bulldogs failed to get a first down on a third-and-five play, the Mounties added to the lead on a 5-yard rushing touchdown by Flores as he continued his outstanding performance.
28-7, Mounties are up big.
The Bulldogs cut into the lead by scoring a one-yard touchdown by freshman running back Metuliki Tupou, making it 28-14 with two minutes and 33 seconds left in the first half.
The back-and-forth offensive battle continued when Mt. SAC answered with a quick drive spanning one minute and four seconds, ending with a 2-yard touchdown by sophomore running back Isaiah Dickerson (10) to make it a 35-14 lead at the end of the first half.
An uneventful second half came to life when tensions between the two teams rose after the Bulldog’s tight end Trent Kimmel was disqualified from the game. Kimmel knocked the helmet off Flores as he ran the ball on a three-and-seven play for 11 yards.
Flores was removed from the game and second-string quarterback sophomore Sean Jastrab (7) took over. Jastrab finished the drive by completing a 15-yard pass into the end zone to sophomore wide receiver Anthony Felton (4), giving Mt. SAC a clear-cut 42-14 dominating lead.
The Bulldogs salvaged a touchdown on a 17-yard rush by Harris in the fourth quarter, making it 42-21.
“[Flores] moved the offense and Nick Floyd ran the ball very well. We got a one-two punch with our guys. They’re doing well. We’re scoring points and that’s important moving forward,” Jastrab said.
The Mounties will hit the road to take on the Citrus College Owls on Sept. 23 for an out-of-conference matchup. Their next home game will be the following week on Sept. 30 versus the San Bernardino Valley Wolverines.
