el Don /SANTA ANA COLLEGE • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014/eldonnews.org
SPORTS
WRESTLING
/ Matthew Salzer
HOPS / Receiver Nathanael Nicholson scores on a 20-yard touchdown thrown by quarterback Shane Truelove. / JORGE CAMPOS / el Don
DONS PASS HEAT CHECK
Game time temperature at 90 degrees worsened by stadium’s Astro Turf
BY JORGE CAMPOS / el Don
After practicing all summer long on
its own turf, the Dons looked right at
home in its season opener against the
Allan Hancock College Bulldogs on
Sept. 6, where game time temperature
was about 90 degrees.
Santa Ana Stadium has a synthetic
turf field. Temperature levels on turf
fields average about 120 degrees on
warm days.
“I looked at my guys and told them
we will have no excuses. We will travel every day and practice and do what
we have to do,” Head Coach Geoff
“
Jones said.
In a close game against Hancock,
the Dons defense outlasted a tired
Bulldogs offense, foiling it twice in
the last four minutes of the game,
after giving up 13 unanswered points.
The Dons won 28-26.
“We gassed out in the end. I thought
we did a good job preparing them
but they were dehydrated,” Hancock
Head Coach Kris Dutra said. “Most
of these kids have never played in
this heat.”
The Dons hope to keep the momentum with a read-option heavy attack.
“It was hot, but our guys won
because we made sure we took care
of that at camp and prepared them
to play a college football season,” said
Special Teams Coach Adam Nyssen.
But Santa Ana College has more
than conditioning on its side as the
offense looks to put more points on
the board based on a outstanding
performance by sophomore quarterback Shane Truelove. He threw three
touchdown passes to three different
receivers for 169 yards.
“Our receivers are actually making
plays this year. They give me a chance
to throw it up and hope they catch it
and make a play,” Truelove said.
COACHES SAY
We were moving a 100-man
caravan back and forth from
Santa Ana College to Santa
Ana Stadium.
We have a lot of freshmen this
year. The fact that they have
been in the bowl getting reps,
that helped out a lot.
If my players were gassed out
in the end I’d take it personally
as a coach. I didn’t prepare
them enough.
- GEOFF JONES / HEAD COACH
- SHANE TRUELOVE / QB
- ADAM NYSSEN / COACH
“
All-American sophomores Juan
Miranda and Andrew Schulte
want to improve on the Dons’
fourth place team finish last year.
“I’m looking forward to the
beginning of the season. I want
to finish strong, finish on top and
have a great year,” Miranda said.
Newcomers Adam Alvarado and
twins Joaquin and Ronnie Collins
join a 47-year program that has
won three state titles and 28 individual championships.
“Hopefully by December we can
put together a pretty solid team.
We always seem to do that,” Head
Coach Vince Silva said.
But a rule change puts smaller
programs like Santa Ana College
at a disadvantage, Silva said.
Teams are allowed to field
12 wrestlers instead of 10
during postseason.
“Sacramento and Fresno City,
with 90 people on their roster, get
to bring 12 people,” Silva said.
SAC had 20 wrestlers in 2013.
el Don /SANTA ANA COLLEGE • MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 15, 2014/eldonnews.org
DEALING WITH
RULE CHANGE
11