By ED GONZALEZ Special to the Daily Press
SANTA MARIA — A week off woke up the passing attack for Santa Monica College, still it wasn’t enough to overcome the 11th-ranked Allan Hancock Bulldogs,who held off the Corsairs,35-17, on Saturday in a Western State Conference divisional game.
Santa Monica (1-5, 1-2 WSC) stayed within reach for most of the game,thanks in large part to QB Colin Clancy,who threw for 229 yards, and a staunch Corsair defense. A pair of fumble recoveries,including an a 80-yard return by SMC’s Mike Abana, cut the Hancock lead to 21-17 early in the fourth quarter.
But Hancock’s ground game, racking up 313 yards rushing, ultimately doomed the Corsairs. The Bulldogs came right back on their next possession with an eight-play, 68-yard drive, capped off by a 3-yard touchdown run by Shaun Stewart with under nine minutes remaining in the game.
Allan Hancock (5-1, 3-0 WSC) extended its winning streak to five games and remained atop the Western State Conference-North Division.
Despite the setback, Santa Monica head coach Robert Taylor was pleased with his team’s performance.
“We played our best football game of the year,” said Taylor. “Better than (the victory over) West LA.”
Ed Gonzalez is the sports information director for Santa Monica College.
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on October 18, 2006. Read the original PDF.