GAUCHO GRIDDERS COMMIT TO FOUR-YEAR SCHOOLS

Saddleback College has announced that nine members of the 2007 football team have committed to play at four-year colleges next season.

Defensive ends Ben Terry (Capistrano Valley HS) and Mike Battisti (Sultana HS, Hesperia) will both move on next season. Terry, who transferred into Saddleback after playing his freshman season at Arizona Western, is headed to the Pacific 10 Conference where he will compete for Oregon State. He had 42 tackles including a team-high 13.5 tackles for lost yardage and 5.5 sacks. He also broke up five passes, caused one fumble and had one fumble recovery in earning first-team all-Mission Conference honors.

Battisti transferred into Saddleback this season after playing his freshman year at Lambuth University in Jackson, Tennessee, and will now continue his education and career at Northern Arizona. He played in all 10 games for the Gauchos this year, posting 35 tackles including 11.5 tackles for lost yardage and 4.5 sacks. He also broke up a pass, forced a fumble, and blocked a kick this season.

Wide receivers Mike Tinoco and Maurice Clark are also heading out to NCAA Division I programs. Tinoco (Tesoro HS) will play at the University of Hawaii while Clark (Temescal Canyon HS) will play at Louisville. Clark led the Gauchos with 43 receptions for 628 yards (14.6 avg) and eight touchdowns while Tinoco was the team’s second-leading receiver, catching 32 passes for 482 yards (15.1 avg) and three touchdowns. Both receivers earned second-team all-Mission Conference honors in 2007.

Safety Daniel Urias (Laguna Hills HS) and cornerback Mikah Pada (Kealakehe HS, Kona, HI) are continuing their education and careers at the next level. Urias is headed off to Idaho State while Pada will play for Wagner College (Staten Island, NY). Urias had 35 tackles this season, including two sacks and two interceptions. Pada was the team’s second-leading tackler, posting 55 stops. He broke up four passes and had a fumble recovery, earning first-team all-conference recognition.

Defensive linemen James Brunt (Mater Dei HS) and Ino Vitale (Nuuuli HS, American Samoa) will both attend Azusa Pacific next year. Brunt, who played his first year at Santa Ana College, played in every game for the Gauchos this season. He made 18 tackles including two for lost yardage. Vitale had 15 tackles, including three sacks and 6.5 tackles for lost yardage. Both lineman batted down a pass this season.

Running back Andrew Nakihei (Maui HS, Hawaii) will continue his career at Lindenwood University (St. Charles, MO). Nakihei was the team’s second-leading rusher in 2006 with 72 carries for 636 yards and seven touchdowns in earning second-team all-Mission Conference honors. He started the 2007 season strong, gaining 195 yards and three touchdowns on 34 carries before an injury in the fourth game ended his season.

Several more Gauchos are expected to announce their future colleges in the weeks ahead.

Mark McElroy On Sabbatical Steve Crapo Leads Gauchos

Saddleback College Head Football Coach Mark McElroy has been granted a sabbatical for this spring semester to visit at least a dozen Division I football programs throughout the country. Assistant Head Coach, Steve Crapo, will take over all duties, including recruiting during Coach McElroy's absence. Coach McElroy will return in June to resume his duties and begin summer football workouts.

Football Has Another Winning Season With Bowl Bid

The football team concluded the season with a 7-3 overall record and reached a post-season bowl game for the seventh consecutive season. After unhealthy air quality due to local wildfires forced the cancellation of one game on the schedule, the Gauchos were able to finish the regular season with a 7-2 overall mark and a 3-1 record in Mission Conference National Division play, falling to Mt. San Antonio in a battle for the division title.
Saddleback was sent to play College of the Canyons in the Western State Bowl, which also served as the first round of the state playoffs. The Gauchos were seeded fifth in the playoffs and Canyons (8-2) was seeded fourth. It marked the second time Saddleback had played in the Western State Bowl and the third time these two teams have collided in the post-season. Canyons defeated Saddleback 34-24 to advance to the regional semifinal game.
The success of this year’s team was just that: a team effort. No individual player had record-breaking statistics and the offensive touches on the ball were spread throughout the roster. Cheyne Verhagen led the team in rushing (107 carries, 612 yards) in a backfield which averaged 197 rushing yards per game but saw two other starting running backs suffer season-ending injuries. Maurice Clark led the team in receptions (43 catches, 628 yards) and touchdowns (8) as one of 15 players to catch a pass this season. Quarterback Brian Shrock played the first half of the season and threw for 1,406 yards and 12 touchdowns before injuries ended his season and Sebastian Trujillo (who played in every game) finished out the schedule as the starting quarterback, throwing for 1,023 yards and eight touchdowns.
Defensive backs Aaron Brown (65), Mikah Pada (55), and Rico Russo (46) led the team in tackles. The depth of this year’s team allowed 50 players to get credit for at least one tackle during the season and 15 players recorded 20-or-more tackles.
Center Patrick Calahan earned first-team all-conference honors on offense while defensive linemen Justin Fesili and Ben Terry, linebacker Thomas Bauer, and defensive backs Aaron Brown and Mikah Pada earned first-team all-conference honors on defense. Running back Cheyne Verhagen, receivers Maurice Clark and Mike Tinoco, and lineman Bikram Randhawa earned second-team all-conference honors on offense while linebacker Sam Latham and safety Rico Russo earned second-team all-conference honors. Calahan earned third-team all-American honors while Clark, Terry, and Brown each earned all-American Honorable Mention status. Rico Russo earned Academic All-American honors while Alex Teunissen earned Academic All-American honorable mention.

A Dozen Gauchos Placed on All-Conference List

Saddleback had 12 players voted onto the All-Mission Conference National Division list this week, split evenly with six first-team selections and six second-team selections.

 Center Patrick Calahan was the only Gaucho mentioned on the first-team offense. However, the defense was full of Gauchos as defensive tackle Justin Fesili earned first-team honors as well as sophomore linebackers Ben Terry and Thomas Bauer. Also earning first-team recognition were safety Aaron Brown and cornerback Mikah Pada.

Earning second-team all-conference recognition on offense were sophomore running back Cheyne Verhagen, wide receivers Maurice Clark and Mike Tinoco, and offensive lineman Bikram Randhawa. On the defensive side of the ball, linebacker Sam Latham and safety Rico Russo earned all-conference honors.