(Costa Mesa, CA) No. 2 seed Fullerton College (10-1) handed No. 3 seed Mt. San Antonio College (9-2) a 45-41 defeat in the first round of the Southern California Football Association playoffs at Orange Coast College on Saturday, Nov. 26. With the victory, the Hornets will face top seed Riverside City College (11-0) for a spot in the California Community College Athletic Association state title game.

For much of the game on Saturday, the Mounties played catchup, taking the lead, 41-38, late in the fourth quarter when Shemar Savage (5 catches, 180 yards, 3 TD) scored on a 22-yard pass play from Ike Udengwu III (24-38, 407 yards, 4 TD) with 1:59 to play.

Fullerton responded with a six-play, 69-yard drive that culminated in a two-yard run by quarterback Brandon Nunez that, with the following PAT, gave the Hornets the 45-41 win.

Udengwu also led Mt. SAC's running game with 89 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown. Isaiah Dickerson added 68 yards on 12 carries.

In addition to Savage, top Mountie receivers included Jaden N. Allen (5 catches, 77 yards), Lucas Moore (5 catches, 59 yards), and Xavier Rawls (4 catches, 45 yards, TD).

Lantz Russell led the Mt. SAC defense with eight tackles, six of which were solo efforts. Teammates Mauloa Wells (7 tackles, 6 solo), Nganatatafu Leakehe (6 tackles, 3 solo), Katin Surprenant (6 tackles), Emmanuel Nkwocha (6 tackles), and Dupre Mendoza (6 tackles, 1 solo) performed well defensively.

In total offense, the Mounties outgained Fullerton, 594-438.

This concludes Mt. SAC's 2022 season. Stay tuned for another exciting season in 2023.

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For additional information, please contact the Mt. SAC Sports Information Office at 909.274.4630.