Crabb era is off and running

The Saddleback football team enjoyed a 58-12 win against Glendale College on opening night inside the new stadium on Saturday night in Mission Viejo.  The Bobcats gave Kerry Crabb an impressive win in his first opportunity as head coach.

On the first play from scrimmage, Andrew Wimmer (pictured) broke off a 73-yard run for touchdown as Saddleback jumped out to a 7-0 lead.  It was a dream start for coach Crabb and the Bobcats, who went on to score 58 points.  The 58 points scored was the most points scored on opening day since Saddleback scored 63 against Los Angeles Harbor College in 2004.

Saddleback dominated from start to finish, racking up 544 yards of offense.  The Bobcats finished with 293 yards on the ground as Wimmer finished with 105 yards on 12 carries, also catching two balls for 43 yards as a receiver.

Saddleback held a 37-6 lead at the half and came out quickly in the second half to put the game on ice.  Quarterback Drew Nash threw his first touchdown of the game when he connected with Samuel Hicks for a 24-yard touchdown with 8:41 left in the third quarter.  Nash would finish 15-for-23 for 184 yards before giving way to Owen Easley and Nicholas Hill in relief. 

Saddleback's defense was equally frustrating to Vaquero fans as the Bobcats surrendered just 132 yards of total offense on the night.  Steven Gushiken, Isaiah Sierra and Timothy Jones all finished with a team-high four total tackles while seven different Bobcats recorded tackles-for-loss. 

Not to be outdone, the Saddleback special teams were sensational.  The Bobcats blocked two extra points, took advantage of a muffed punt and continuously pinned the Glendale offense deep in their own end of the field on kickoffs and punts.  The only blemish was a 95-yard kick return from Glendale's Nick Johnson which cut the Bobcat lead to 44-12 midway through the third quarter. 

Saddleback finished off the scoring with a pair of touchdowns over the final 17 minutes of the game.  Owen Easley found Kalynd Coats for a 44-yard touchdown before Jack St. Fleur scampered 27 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter.

Saddleback had a huge advantage in the books.  The Bobcats racked up 35 first downs and held a 40:46-to-19:14 advantage in time of possession. After the game, Crabb enjoyed an ice bath from the players (video below).

Saddleback will play against next Saturday when it hosts Mt. San Antonio College at 6:00 PM.