FC DROPS THE CONFERENCE OPENER

The No. 10 Hornets lost a close game on the road Saturday night against No. 21 Mt. San Jacinto College 35-28.

Both teams came into the game with 2-1 overall records looking to grab a win for the SCFA Southern Conference opener. The history between the Hornets and Eagles is short but sweet as the two teams first met in 2003, which was a 24-16 win for Fullerton. After tonight's loss, the Hornets still lead the all-time series at 2-1.

Fullerton got off to a rocky start fronting Mt. San Jacinto 13 unanswered points in the first quarter. The Hornets got on the board at 10:11 in the second quarter when QB Tobey Schmidt trotted around the right side for a 5-yard touchdown.

K'Vion Bills took a punt return 58 yards to paydirt giving the Hornets a 14-13 lead at the 9-minute-mark, but the Eagles clapped back with two touchdowns and a two-point conversion for a 28-14 advantage heading into halftime.

Antoine Johnson Jr. nearly tied the mark for the longest interception return picking the ball off for a 99-yard touchdown late in the third quarter. The FC record is held by Ronald McFoy, who had a 100-yard interception return in 2022 against Santa Ana College.

Trailing 28-21 heading into the fourth quarter, FC hit a bump in the road as Mt. San Jacinto scored again on a 90-yard pass from Logan Gonzalez to Jackson Wang.

Defense did it again for Fullerton as linebacker Ethan Charpentier picked the ball of at the Eagle 29-yardline, and then took it to the house making it a seven-point ball game at 35-28 with 11:04 left on the clock.

After misfiring on a couple of offensive drives with time ticking off the clock, FC had one last chance to tie the game up with a 1:54 left in regulation, but it was not the Hornet's night as the Eagles hung on for the win thanks to an interception by DJ Bryant.

Up Next: The Hornets (2-2 overall, 0-1 Southern Conference) will try and pick it back up at home next Saturday, October 5th when they welcome Southern Conference rival Southwestern College to Hal Sherbeck Field. Kickoff is at 6:00 pm.

*Photo by Aaliyah Skipper