Golden West turned what was a defensive battle into a solid homecoming victory topping Santa Ana 28-16 at LeBard Stadium.

Defense ruled the first half as both Golden West (7-1, 3-1) and Santa Ana (2-6, 1-3) punted the ball 14 times combined. Golden West was the first to score as quarterback Chris d'Entremont completed a 9-yard pass to Kyrel Brown in the second quarter. Santa Ana scored as well in the second quarter thanks to a Marcus Hays fumble on a punt return that was recovered by sophomore Brett Hurley in the end zone.

Once the Rustlers came out of the gate for the second half, it was all d'Entremont. After a 28-yard field goal by Dons' kicker Marshel Gleason, d'Entremont threw for three consecutive touchdowns. Marcus Sanchez was the recipient of the first one for 28 yards, and then Brown was found twice in a row for 12 yards and 16 yards.

Once again, the Rustlers' defense kept constant pressure on Dons' quarterback Shane Truelove. Three sacks were recorded by the defensive line, DelRoy Steele, Vallemond German and Courtland Drummond laid the big hits. Linebacker and defensive stud Anthony McNichols made his presence known with 8 tackles.

Despite being hurried plenty, Truelove managed to not turn the ball over and threw a 19-yard scoring pass to Dorion Barnett with just over one minute left in the game for Santa Ana's only offensive touchdown. What really brought down Santa Ana was its slew of penalties, committing 15 for an astounding 151 yards. Costly personal fouls and roughing calls hurt the most as some allowed Golden West to continue its drive down field instead of punt.

Next Saturday, Nov. 6 is Golden West's big rivalry game against Orange Coast at 6:00 at LeBard Stadium. Since both teams share the stadium, the turnout should be huge.

Written by: Kyle Infante