Scoreless Second Half Leads to 42-20 Loss to MSJC for Dons Football
Santa Ana Football dropped to 0-4 after a 42-20 loss to Mt. San Jacinto on Saturday night.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
|
6 | 14 | 7 | 15 | 42 |
|
|
7 | 13 | 0 | 0 | 20 |
Team Stats
Mt. San Jacinto
| Game Statistics | Mt. San Jacinto | Santa Ana |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 268 | 290 |
| Rushing Yards | 179 | 98 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 4 |
| Time of Poss. | 30:57 | 29:03 |
SANTA ANA, Calif. - The Santa Ana College Football team played great for stretches against the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles (3-1) on Saturday night but just could not find the endzone in the second half, leading to a 42-20 loss.
In the first half, the Dons (0-4) found themselves down 6-0 following a couple early field goals from the Eagles. But that quickly changed as Ceasar Ayala started to find receivers in his third drive of the game.
Kyran Hayes first pulled down a 26-yard catch to give the Dons some momentum as they charged into MSJC territory for the first time. On the very next play, the Dons drew the Eagles offsides, giving them a chance to try for a big play which they converted on as Ayala hit Kristian Constantine for a 39-yard touchdown to give Santa Ana a 7-6 lead.
The lead did not last long for the Dons as Mt. San Jacinto responded with two touchdowns in the second quarter to gain a 20-7 lead with 11:56 remaining in the half.
A couple of drives later, the Dons caught a break as the Eagles fumbled a punt to give Santa Ana great field position at the MSJC 28 yardline.
Dallen Engemann got his chance to show what he could do at quarterback and found Nicholas Frengel for a 28-yard touchdown to cut the Eagle lead to just 20-14 at the 5:42 mark in the second quarter.
The Dons defense held up on the next possession as well, keeping the momentum in their hands and giving Engemann another shot. On their second play of the drive, Engemann connected with Hayes on a screen which resulted in a 56-yard touchdown to tie the game at 20-20.
FB: SAC 20,@msjcathletics 20 (Half)
— SAC Dons (@SACDons) September 25, 2022
Dallen Engemann connected with Kyran Hayes for a 56 yard touchdown to tie the score.#SACDons pic.twitter.com/cFhY1fp3R2
Although it looked as if SAC found some answers on both sides of the football, it was a completely different game in the second half.
The Dons could not manage to move the ball and get into the endzone while the Eagles eventually took advantage of their opportunities, scoring 22 points in the half to walk away with a 42-20 win.
Engemann finished with a line of 11-25 for 164 passing yards, two touchdowns and 1 interception while Ayala went 9-24 with 119 yards, a touchdown and a pick.
Jamiel Henning and William Sullivan Jr. combined for 104 rushing yards on 16 attempts.
Hayes continued to rack up yards as he recorded five catches for 122 yards and a touchdown. Constantine added five receptions, 68 yards and touchdown while Frengel caught two passes for 44 yards and his own touchdown.
On the defensive side of the ball, Santa Ana's pass rushers were relentless all game, collecting 12 sacks as a team.
Gabriel Magana led the team in tackles with seven total while Nathan Logoleo and Toa Moa got five apiece and combined for 4.5 sacks.
The Dons will be back on the road for week five as they travel to play Grossmont (2-2) on Saturday, October 1st. Grossmont will be looking to bounce back after suffering a 32-24 loss to Moorpark in week four.
