Gauchos earn hardware, move up in polls

The Saddleback football team improved to 2-0 on Saturday with a big win over Long Beach City College, and with wins tends to come recognition.  Two Gauchos were awarded league player-of-the-week as Saddleback moved up in state and national polls.

Saddleback took home the defensive player-of-the-week honor for the second straight week after the Southern California Football Association awarded Jake Hudson for the National Division Southern League.  Hudson led the team with eight tackles, also recording 2.5 sacks, one forced fumble and two quarterback hurries.  Hudson was part of a defense that recorded eight sacks on Saturday in Long Beach.

Saddleback also had a player win offensive player-of-the-week as quarterback Cam Humphrey took home the award from the SCFA.  Humphrey came on in relief of Max Gilliam in the second quarter to guide a come-from-behind victory over Long Beach City, finishing 13-of-21 for 196 yards and two touchdown passes.  The Gauchos outscored the Vikings 38-7 over a 28-minute span to charge past LBCC.

In addition to the awards, Saddleback has been moving up in the latest polls after starting 2-0.  The Gauchos are now ranked No. 12 nationally in the JCGridiron.com Dirty 30 Rankings while moving up to No. 5 in the state in both the California Community College Sports Information Association (CCCSIA) and JC Athletic Bureau (CCCFC) polls.

Saddleback plays on the road at Los Angeles Harbor College on Saturday.  Kickoff is scheduled for 6:00 PM.