Rushing duo dominates as Dons roll over Cougars

After last week’s loss against Pasadena City College, Santa Ana College’s football team needed a bounce back. Led by a five-touchdown effort from their running backs William Saucedo and Malcom Perry, the Dons convincingly defeated Los Angeles Valley College by a final of 41-16.

The Dons stifled the the Cougars offense in the first quarter. They held them to under 50 yards and allowed no points while getting out to a 14-0 lead.

Their first two touchdowns were led by quarterback Dallen Engemann, who had 173 yards for the day. Engemann drove them down the field, while Saucedo finished off the first drive with a three-yard rushing touchdown. Perry finished off the second drive with a five-yard receiving touchdown.

The Cougars built momentum in the second quarter, even amounting to a 16-14 lead with two touchdowns and converting two-point conversions on both drives.

However, the Dons responded in a big way with a 36-yard receiving touchdown from wideout Malachi Pierce, taking a 20-16 lead into halftime. Pierce went on to have 107 yards on the day.

“It’s all part of being a team, we have to set our players up for success and our team is set up that way,” said Pierce. “There’s no I in team… You know how it goes.”

The Dons defense shined in the second half. Shutting down quarterback Michael Franklin and the Cougars offense, allowing no points for the rest of the game. SAC’s offense would also respond by scoring 21 unanswered points.

“We put a lot of work in this week and corrected a lot of mistakes from last week and are very proud of our student-athletes,” said head coach Anthony White. ”We’re very proud of our staff for getting us back on the right track.”

The Dons hope to keep their momentum on the road next week against Glendale on Saturday, Sept. 16. Last season, the Dons crushed Glendale 44-17 in their final conference game of the season.