SAC captures outright conference title with victory over Glendale

First-year Coach Anthony White led SAC to the conference title. (File photo Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

Behind the arm of quarterback Ceasar Ayala, the Santa Ana College football team captured the American Metro Conference title Saturday afternoon with a decisive 62-35 victory over Glendale.

It marks the first time the Dons have captured league title since 2017. 

Ayala tossed seven touchdown passes as SAC notched its seventh consecutive victory and will play in a bowl game (opponent and location TBD) on Thanksgiving weekend.

Ayala finishes the regular season with 30 TD passes and 2,259 yards. The Dons (7-3, 5-0) scored 60 or more points three times this season and Saturday was the second time Ayala had thrown seven TD passes in a game this season. He completed 23 of 29 passes for 482 yards on Saturday.

After the Vaqueros took a 7-0 lead in the opening quarter, the Dons responded quickly. Ayala completed a 40-yard TD pass to Kyran Hayes to tie the score at 7. By the of the quarter, Gary Ferman raced 29 yard for a touchdown and Ayala threw a 48-yard touchdown pass to Kristian Constantine as SAC led 21-14 after 15 minutes of play.

In the second quarter, Ayala added TD passes of 13, 52 and three yards to Arthur Shaw, Jason Biddle and Shaw as the Dons expanded its lead to 42-28 at halftime.

The SAC continued its assault in the third quarter as Constantine caught a second TD pass from Ayala, Ferman scored on a 9-yard touchdown run and Shaw hauled in his third TD of the game, on a 15-yard pass from Ayala to seal the victory.

Devyon Benton, Jalen Jones and Nate Ulloa each had an interception and DJ Stack had six tackles as the Dons held Glendale to one touchdown in the second half.   

SAC had three receivers who had over 100 yards in the game. Hayes caught seven passes for 160 yards and a TD, Constantine had four catches for 112 yards and 2 TDs and Shaw caught 8 passes for 108 yards and three TDs. Ferman, the Dons leading rusher this season, ran for 85 yards on 11 carries and 2 TDs. 

After forfeiting tis first game of the season due to COVID protocol, SAC lost its next two to Moorpark and San Jacinto and then peeled off seven straight wins to finish the regular season 7-3 and giving its first year head coach, Anthony White the American Metro Conference title.  

–Courtesy Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone