SBCC jumped out to a 9-0 lead for the second straight home game on Saturday night but Santa Monica took advantage of mistakes to score 33 unanswered points in a 33-9 football victory at La Playa Stadium.
The Vaqueros (0-6, 0-2 APC) turned the ball over seven times, including five fumbles, and commited 17 penalties for 162 yards. Their last eight possessions ended with four fumbles, two punts and two interceptions.
“We just didn’t take care of the ball,” said coach Craig Moropoulos. “On special teams, we made some real poor decisions. The big thing is just keeping the ball in our hands because our defense was doing a good job.
‘We were trying to take care of the ball, then all of a sudden the special teams just changed the momentum. When that happened, we kind of lost focus.”
Santa Monica (3-2, 1-0) had its own troubles with four turnovers and 10 penalties. Quarterback Alfonso Medina completed 20-of-29 passes for 339 yards and four TDs.
The Vaqueros took a 2-0 lead on Santa Monica’s opening possession when the fourth-down snap sailed over the punter’s head from his own 41-yard line. Jose Esquiviel chased after the ball and kicked it out of the end zone for a safety.
On the very next play, Chad Wright, a freshman from Flowood, Miss., burst through the middle for SBCC’s longest run of the season — a 52-yard touchdown that extended the lead to 9-0.
Wright ran for a season-best 131 yards on 19 carries.
The Corsairs got on the board late in the first half when Joel Ramos hit quarterback Keegan Robilotta from the blindside and forced a fumble. Teammate Martin Perry recovered at the SBCC 42.
Four plays later, Medina hit Aaron Jones with a 17-yard TD pass with 4.9 seconds left in the second quarter, cutting the deficit to 9-7.
Robilotta was knocked out of the game with 6:59 left in the third quarter and Jake Umphreyville finished up at quarterback. Umphreyville was 5-16 passing for 62 yards with two interceptions.
Linebacker Manny Hernandez, the state leader in tackles, had a solid game for the Vaqueros with 13 tackles, a forced fumble and an 11-yard sack.
Santa Monica scored two touchdowns in a 12-second span late in the third period to take a 20-9 lead. The visitors recovered a muffed punt at their own 49 and need just four plays to find the end zone with Myles Johnson running it in from 18 yards. A 2-point PAT run came up short.
Mike Spiritosanto charged forward to take the ensuing kickoff and fumbled at his own 25. The Corsairs recovered at the 30. On the very next play, Medina hooked up with Kris Comass on a 30-yard scoring pass that made it 20-9.
SBCC was driving when Umphreyville hit Terrance Brown for an 11-yard gain to the Corsair 12 on the second play of the fourth quarter. David Mayo’s tackle jarred the ball loose and SMC recovered at its own 9. Two plays later, Medina hit tight end Aaron Boesch for a 78-yard score that boosted the lead to 26-9.
“It seemed like every time we’d get something going, something would happen in the second half,” said Moropoulos.
The Vaqueros will play their next three at home, starting on Saturday with a 6 p.m. game against L.A. Pierce.
