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COMPTON, CA - Sophomore quarterback Daniel Morales passes for three touchdowns and ran for another as Santa Ana College (1-0) won its 2005 season opener, 59-26, over Compton College (0-1) in non-conference football action Saturday. Kaleo Igarta led all rushers with 136 yards on just 12 carries and scored on a 65-yard run just before halftime to give the Dons a 31-20 lead at intermission.
Morales, who passes for just 135 yards on 13 of 25 passing, put Santa Ana on the scoreboard first when he capped of the Dons' opening eight-play drive with a 15-yard run.
Compton tied the game on its opening possession and took the lead, 13-7, on its second set of downs when Thomas Perez scampered 48-yards to put the Tartars on top. After a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty Compton's two-point attempt failed.
Santa Ana took the lead for good in the second period as the Dons scored 24 points in the stanza. Placekicker Curtis Gladden, who was 8-for-8 on PATs, connected on his first field goal attempt of the season a 38-yarder that made it 13-10. Santa Ana took advantage of the Tartars poor punting game as it took over at Compton's 17 and 15-yard line on consecutive possessions. Morales gave the Dons a 24-13 lead when he hooked up with tight end Richard Martinez on a four-yard completion and Cameron Clemons on a 14-yarder.
Compton cut Santa Ana's lead to 24-20 when Bobby Stiggeis returned a fumble 75 yards for a touchdown.
Santa Ana free safety Kevin Conway stopped a Tartar drive just before intermission when he picked off an errand pass at the Dons' 20-yard line with 21 seconds remaining. After a 15-yard run on first down, Igarta put the Dons ahead 31-20 at halftime when he took the next snap and raced 65-yards for a score.
Despite a three-yard touchdown by Compton's Perez midway through the third quarter the second half belonged to Santa Ana as the Dons scored four touchdowns in the final 30 minutes. Cornerback Thomas Christian recovered a fumble in the end zone for the first second-half score and Morales tossed his third touchdown of the game, a six-yarder, to Finas Rabb.
Running back Devonte Merrifield capped the Dons scoring with touchdown runs of four and eight yards in the fourth quarter. Santa Ana used nine running backs in while rushing for 299 yards on 45 attempts.
The Dons finished with 434 yards of total offense while limiting Compton to 238 yards, 149 of which came on the ground.
Next: San Diego Mesa (1-0) at Santa Ana (1-0), Saturday, September 10,
1 p.m. (Santa Ana Stadium/Eddie West Field).
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