FOOTBALL COMES BACK STRONG WITH 22-17 VICTORY OVER BAKERSFIELD
SANTA MARIA - The Allan Hancock College football team trailed previously undefeated Bakersfield, 10-0 at halftime, but the Bulldogs roared back to score twice in the third quarter, then late in the game for a 22-17 Western State Conference victory.
Hancock (3-2, 1-2 WSC) came out with all cylinders firing in the second half. Fullback Walter Burnette, (So., Chapel Hill, NC) scored on a 10-yard pass reception from quarterback Blake Sartini (Fr., Las Vegas NV) for the first score. Victor Velasco (Fr., Santa Maria HS) kicked the extra point to pull the Bulldogs to 10-7.
Anthony Melton (Fr., Delano, CA) scored on a determined, tackle-breaking 23-yard sweep to give AHC its' first lead. The play would prove costly though, as Melton had to be helped from the field with an undisclosed injury. He would not return after compiling 61 yards on 10 carries.
The Hancock defense, which kept the team in the game in the first half, came up big in the fourth quarter to stop Bakersfield near mid-field. On the ensuing punt, the ball bounced off the foot of a Bulldog player and the Renegades recovered at the Hancock nine- yard-line. Bakersfield scored on a nine-yard touchdown pass to a 17-14 lead with less than five minutes to play.
On the ensuing kickoff, Curtis Chatmon (Fr., Lompoc HS) returned the ball to the 50-yard-line after fielding the ball at the two. Moments later, Sartini connected on a 50-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Bugg (So., Atascadero) to put the Bulldogs ahead for good. On the conversion, after a bad snap, holder Andrew Jones (So., Lompoc HS) scrambled to his right and lofted the ball to the end zone where six-foot, six-inch defensive end Michael Slaughter (So., Lompoc HS) reached up and pulled it down for the final two points of the game.
The Hancock defense limited the Renegades to just 39 yards rushing and 34 yards passing in the second half. Eighty of the 259 yards that Bakersfield finished with in the game came in their opening drive, when they scored their only TD of the first half.
AHC finished the night with 368 total yards. Drew Williams (Fr., Queens, NY) led all rushers with 136 yards on 19 carries. Bugg was the leading receiver with 73 yards on four receptions. Burnette ended up with two receptions for 18 yards and a TD. Tight end Darnell Worthy caught his first three passes of the season for 27 yards. In his first Bulldog start, Sartini completed 13-of-22 passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns, while being intercepted once.
The Bulldogs will enjoy a bye week, then return to action on Saturday, October 16, when they visit L.A. Southwest for a 1:00 p.m. game. KUHL-AM/Santa Maria and KTME-AM/Lompoc will broadcast the game live, beginning with a 12:30 p.m. pre-game show.