SBCC Football Drops Season Opener to Fullerton 38-0

Turnovers and struggles in the red zone doomed the SBCC football team in a 38-0 season-opening loss to Fullerton College on Saturday night.

The Vaqueros were without several key players, including starting quarterback Will Doherty and couldn’t keep pace. The Hornets were ranked No. 5 in the California Community College Football Coaches annual preseason poll and finished 10-1 overall last season.

“It would have been really easy for these guys to give up and quit. They are playing a really good solid team, a big team, one of the best teams in the state perennially and they never gave up. I was so freaking proud of them,” said SBCC coach Craig Moropoulos of his team’s effort against stacked odds. “A couple of things {change} here in there and it’s a different ball game.”

Fullerton outgained SBCC in total offense 344 to 213 and made the most of scoring opportunities.

The Hornets got on the board with a 31-yard touchdown pass from Tobey Schmidt to Desmond Duffy with 5:05 remaining in the first quarter. Schmidt put together an efficient performance overall completing 11-of-15 passes overall for 230 yards and four touchdowns.

Early in the second quarter, Fullerton increased its lead 14-0 on a back shoulder fade from Schmidt to Jahmeer Cartagena from 16-yards out. It was the first of two touchdown receptions for Cartagena.

After a 29-yard field goal by Charles Viorel increased the Fullerton lead to 17-0 with 5:53 remaining in the second quarter,Fullerton recovered a fumble at the SBCC 30-yard line and appeared poised to put the game away. However, Ben Antoine kept SBCC in the game with an interception in the end zone on the first play of the ensuing Fullerton drive.

The Vaqueros marched into Fullerton territory with time winding down in the first half, but SBCC quarterback Ben Collins was intercepted by Fullerton’s Derek Bermudez ending the threat.

Fullerton received the ball to open the second half and marched 60 yards on five plays, capped off by a ten-yard touchdown pass from Schmidt to Cartage, which increased the Hornets’ lead to 24-0.

Schmidt’s final touchdown pass of the game went 20 yards to Duffy and put Fullerton ahead 31-0.

Collins finished 19-of-34 for 185 yards with one interception in a surprise start. Running back Donovan Harris was a bright spot offensively for SBCC. He finished with 81 total yards, including 5 catches for 50 yards.

The Vaqueros will look to bounce back with a road game at Saddleback on Saturday beginning at 6 p.m.