Palomar College football finished their season with a surprise 30-22 victory over Glendale College Vaqueros in the Patriotic Bowl on Nov. 22 at Escondido High School’s Wilson Stadium. Coming into the contest the Vaqueros had a 9-1 record and were thought to be favorites against the 6-6 Comets. But the hard-nosed play of the Comets and the excellent punting display by Palomar Sophomore punter Cody Wuthrich stifled the Vaquero offense and helped Palomar massively improve on last season’s 2-8 effort.
Glendale got out to an early lead in the opening minutes of the game with a running score by Robert Jones but the ensuing extra-point attempt was blocked and returned 98 yds to give the Comet’s an unforeseen 2 points. A 55 yd touchdown punt return by Palomar’s Damon Nolan with three minutes to play in the first quarter gave the Comets their first lead of the game. A 53 yd pass from Mitch Bartrum, who was given the start over Brett Hollingsworth, to Wayne Ganon in the second quarter extended the lead before the Vaqueros drew back just before halftime to put the score at 13-16 going into the second half.
Palomar struck first in the second half with some trickery when running back Justin Harris faked his run and dipped a 2 yd pass to Tiree Burton in the endzone. The Vaqueros replied with a field goal late in the third quarter to put the game at a one-score difference going into the fourth. Both teams traded a pair of short runs for scores in the fourth to give the Comets the victory. Palomar was able to overcome a large amount of penalties in the game thanks to the aforementioned Wuthrich whose 8 punts averaged 42.4 yds per and set the Vaqueros within their own 20 three times. The Sophomore from La Costa Canyon High School was recognized for his great display with Palomar’s player of the game honors.
For his amazing displays and skill over the course of the season Palomar’s defensive end Dylan Donoghue won the Southern Conference’s defensive player of the year award. A standout on his side of the ball, both for his performances and intense leadership, the Sophomore from Billings, Montana led the Comet’s with 64 tackles (22 TFL) and 10.5 sacks.
REST OF PALOMAR FOOTBALL CONFERENCE AWARD RECIPIENTS, courtesy of http://www.palomar.edu/athletics/
| ALL-SOUTHERN CONFERENCE COMETS |
| FIRST-TEAM OFFENSE |
| GUARD — Khris Alvarez (6-4, 305), Freshman, San Marcos HS) |
| RECEIVER — M.J. Bailey (6-1, 200), Sophomore, San Marcos HS |
| RUNNING BACK — Justin Harris (5-10, 180), Sophomore, Temecula Chaparral HS |
| FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE |
| END — Dylan Donahue (6-3, 245) Sophomore, Billings West (Montana) HS — Player of Year |
| LINEBACKER — Austin Wolff (6-1, 230), Sophomore, Fallbrook High School |
| CORNER — Bryan Jones (6-0, 180), Sophomore, Great Oak High School |
| RETURNER — Damon Nolan (5-7, 155), Sophomore, Murrieta Valley High School |
| SECOND-TEAM OFFENSE |
| (None) |
| FIRST-TEAM DEFENSE |
| TACKLE — Joe Naotala (6-2, 265), Sophomore, Army-Navy Academy |
| INSIDE LINEBACKER — Drew Madera (6-1, 215), Sophomore, Temecula Chaparral HS |
| SAFETY — Bryce Alexander (6-1, 175), Freshman, Brawley High School |
