FOOTBALL: ANOTHER UNDEFEATED CONFERENCE SEASON

The #4 Hornets sealed the conference title going undefeated in the Southern Conference for the second year in a row after taking apart Palomar College 38-17 at Nathan Shapell stadium on Saturday afternoon.

It was a good win for Fullerton on their homecoming game that boosted their overall record to 8-2 and their conference record to 6-0. The loss bumps Palomar to 5-4 overall and 2-3 in the Southern Conference.

The Hornets are now 12-0 in conference-play the past two seasons, and they are also an undefeated 11-0 since they began playing their home games at Nathan Shapell in 2013.

FC scored on their opening drive. Going 77 yards on 12 plays, QB Joey Verhaegh ended the drive with a 13-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Markush.

The Comets were not phased as they marched down the field in their initial drive putting the ball into the Hornet end zone on a Justin Harris 2-yard run.

Palomar took a 10-7 lead at 11:40 in the 2nd quarter when kicker Patrick Koch kicked a 40-yard field goal through the up-rights.

Fullerton grabbed the lead on their next possession on a 17-yard pass from Verhaegh to RB Oran Maxwell.

Kicker Casey Eyman drilled a 39-yard field goal giving the Hornets a 17-10 lead as the final second ticked off the clock of the first half.

Fullerton took it up a notch in the second half scoring 21 unanswered points erasing any doubt that they would lose the game. RB Jamal Sam blasted up the middle of the field for a 50-yard TD run, Markush caught his second touchdown pass on the day (16 yards) from Verhaegh, and Sam scored his second TD on a 14-yard run. 

Palomar managed a late score with 5:50 left in the game on a 24-yard run by RB Deviante Sayles.

Up Next: The #4 Hornets (8-2, 6-0) will host #2 Mt. San Antonio College this Saturday in the Southern California Bowl in the first round of the SoCal Regional Playoffs. Kickoff is at 1:00 pm. 

*Photo by Sean Sydnor