GAME RECAP AND TOP PHOTOS: Schimdt, #1 Rustlers Get Past #2 Saddleback for the SCFA Title

by Noah Scherson

Balanced offense and stifling defense help top seed Golden West take down Saddleback 33-15 to take home the Southern California Football Association championship.

The Rustlers held on strong in the first half, only allowing one touchdown by the Bobcats running back ​​Kavaughn Clark in the second quarter. Clark totaled 48 yards on 60 yards on 16 total touches and rushed for his second touchdown in the third quarter.  

Meanwhile, the Golden West offense was efficient and methodical. After notching in two field goals on their first pair of possessions, tight end Will McKissick found the endzone on a 14-yard reception to open scoring in the second quarter.

The Rustlers would close the first half with a 31-yard touchdown reception from Tanner Schmidt, followed by Saddlebacks’ punt being blocked by defensive lineman Kekama Cosma to set up another field goal to close the first half at 23-7 in favor of Golden West. 

Schmidt played a big role in the Rustlers’ win with eight catches for 166 yards and one touchdown. He was also the quarterback Kauna’oa Kamakawiwo’ole’s go-to guy in clutch situations, hauling in a contested catch in double coverage to convert a third-and-long in the first quarter. 

“I knew he was going to be a great quarterback since the first time we threw,” Schmidt said of his chemistry with Kamakawiwo’ole. “I took all opportunities I could to get on the field extra with him and build up that chemistry months ago. I think that’s paid dividends for us.”

Kamakawiwo’ole went 18 for 27 with 272 yards and two touchdowns on the day. He has thrown for over 270 yards in his last three games. 

In the second half, Saddleback’s offense came to life with an 8-minute drive. Quarterback Tyler Dudden rushed the ball three times on this drive to give the offense an extra push. After the 1-yard Clark touchdown, Dudden found wide receiver Nicholas Gentil for the two-point conversion to make it a one-score game at 23-15 in favor of Golden West. 

Dudden finished the day going 17 for 26 for 160 yards and one interception through the air. On the ground, he tallied 48 yards on 13 attempts, most of it coming in the second half. 

The Ruslters kicked a field goal on the ensuing drive, but on the next Bobcat possession, they were knocking at the door on the Golden West 25-yard line on a fourth-and-1. A miscommunication on the snap leads to a loose ball pin-balling from player to player, only for Golden West to recover it at the Bobcats’ 43-yard line, a 32-yard loose ball. 

Golden West running back Aaron Mitchel would put the nail in the coffin on an 8-yard touchdown run and take home the SCFA Championship 33-15. 

Golden West will face San Mateo in the State Championship at LeBard Stadium next Saturday at noon. 

“We just got to do what we do,” Golden West head coach Nick Mitchel said about facing San Mateo. “We’ll have to find out where we have the advantage and where we don’t, take advantage of those.”