Dons Fall Short of Comeback, Drop to MSJC 39-34
Santa Ana fell short of a comeback on Saturday as they were defeated by Mt. San Jacinto 39-34.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
14 | 13 | 6 | 6 | 39 |
|
|
13 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 34 |
Team Stats
Mt. San Jacinto
| Game Statistics | Mt. San Jacinto | Santa Ana |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 419 | 514 |
| Rushing Yards | 134 | -9 |
| Turnovers | 1 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 32:26 | 27:34 |
SANTA ANA, Calif. - Down six points with 34 seconds left to play, the Santa Ana Football team got the ball back at their own 15 yard line with a chance to complete a wild comeback against the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles (2-1) on Saturday night.
After a few first downs the Dons managed to get to the 50 yard line where quarterback Ceasar Ayala was forced to throw a hail mary into a crowd on the last possession of the game. The ball was batted down by a MSJC defensive back, ending the drive and giving Eagles a 39-34 win.
It was a tough loss for the Dons as they fought to comeback from a 19 point deficit with just 8:45 left in the fourth quarter.
A quick response and 48 yard touchdown pass from Ayala to Arthur Shaw cut the lead to just 12 at 39-27 with 7:04 on the clock.
Momentum really started to shift after the Dons took a gamble and went for an onside kick. That gamble paid off and SAC cashed in after they recovered the ball and drove down the field for a five play, 50 yard scoring drive that was finished off with a four yard rush by Shaw.
The Dons would follow that possession with a defensive stop but in the end they just ran out of time in their final possession.
Ayala finished 19-30 passing with 354 yards, three touchdowns and two picks on the night. Fellow quarterback David Griffin added a stat line of 7-14 with 160 yards and one touchdown.
Santa Ana's receivers had another good night with Shaw leading the way as he caught five balls for 152 yards and a touchdown. Kyran Hayes also recorded five catches as he went for 110 yard with his own touchdown.
Kristian Constantine and Tyler Shimomura combined for 10 receptions, 168 yards and two touchdowns, giving the Dons a ton of weapons to choose from.
On the defensive side of the ball, Bryce Phillips posted a team high nine tackles while Camaren Sweet, EJ Gowdy and Daylen Fuller went for six tackles each.
Kristofer Snipes also made his mark on the game with five tackles, two being sacks for a loss of 13 yards.
Santa Ana will try for their first win of the year when they go on the road to face LA Pierce College (0-3) this Saturday.
