El Camino faced a big test with a showdown against top-ranked Saddleback College but the Warriors were unable to overcome three turnovers in the first quarter as the Gauchos jumped out to a 25-0 lead.
The Warriors (2-2) had moments where they could’ve climbed back into it, but the defense allowed the Gauchos’ offense to roll up 679 yards resulting in a 60-33 loss Saturday night at Murdock Stadium.
“There were some good things to build on and some mistakes we clearly made,” coach Gifford Lindheim said. “Turnovers are hard to overcome against one of the best teams in California.”
Lindheim and his staff are trying to build a program with players who are learning a new system on both sides of the ball. Lindheim said he wants to play fast on offense and attack teams vertically, while running the ball effectively.
On the opening drive, Saddleback marched down the field on an eight-play, 71-yard drive capped by quarterback Jacob Gibson’s 13-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Harris.
Warriors’ sophomore quarterback David Sills then fumbled the snap on their first possession, giving the Gauchos good field position. Saddleback capitalized on the turnover with a 12-yard touchdown run by Remy Wasserbach.
Gibson punched in the two-point conversion to give the Gauchos a 15-0 lead in the first quarter.
“We work all week to come out with a win but we shot ourselves in the foot a couple times,” Sills said. “We have to make more plays but I’m confident in our team going forward.”
Saddleback (4-0) converted another turnover into points when Gibson connected with Harris again for an 8-yard touchdown, giving the Gauchos a 22-0 lead.
Sills put the Warriors on the board with a 3-yard run in the second quarter, but Saddleback came right back with a pair of touchdown passes by quarterback Nick Robinson giving the Gauchos a 46-13 lead at halftime.
After a Sills 14-yard touchdown run, the Warriors forced a fumble which was recovered by sophomore defensive back Nathaniel Vaughn.
The turnover set up El Camino freshman running back Donovan Davis’ 4-yard touchdown run, cutting the Gaucho lead to 46-26 in the third quarter.
“We practiced hard all week but we didn’t execute,” Vaughn said. “We had a lot of broken coverages and didn’t play to our potential.”
Saddleback running back Edward Vander put the game out of reach with an 8-yard touchdown run. Sills completed 14 of 25 passes for 162 yards and a touchdown while adding 71 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
“It was a great opportunity to play Saddleback College,” Lindheim said. “I was proud of the way we responded after coming out of the gates slow. It was good to see where we are at and learn from it.”
