Martin ties record with 5 TD passes in 44-7 rout

Josh Martin made quite a splash on Saturday in his first college start at quarterback.

The 6-4, 210-pound freshman from Beaumont High threw for a school-record five touchdowns and ran for another as No. 23 SBCC blasted L.A. Southwest 44-7 at La Playa Stadium.

The Vaqueros, ranked No. 13 in Southern Cal, improved to 5-0 overall and 2-0 in the American Pacific Conference. The 5-0 start is their best since the 1975 squad opened 7-0.

Martin was also the team's leading rusher with 66 yards on 14 carries, giving him 264 total yards. He accounted for six TDs, including a 21-yard dash that ended with a dive and stretch over the right pylon with 3:41 to go in the second quarter.

That gave the Vaqueros a 21-0 halftime lead.

"I knew we could beat this team and my teammates had my back," said Martin, who completed 17-of-22 passes for 198 yards. "We played really well on both sides of the ball.

"I wasn't really nervous. I mean, it was my first start so I was a little nervous. But I had faith in my team and they had faith in me."

SBCC scored on its first two possessions, driving 44 and 49 yards. Martin connected with Jacob Arnell for scores of 6 and 8 yards. His other scoring tosses came in the second half, covering 8, 27 and 1 yard and going to tight end Andrew Forse and running backs Mike Petersen and Terrance Brown.

Arnell has seven receiving TDs, ranking him in the top 5 in Southern Cal.

"The No. 1 thing is the heart this team has," said coach Craig Moropoulos. "They don't get down and they support each other. We have some good talented athletes and they play well together."

Martin's five passing TDs tied the school record shared by Nick Acciani vs. Hancock in 2006, Jarrod DeGeorgia against L.A. Pierce in 1994 and Greg Tipton at West Hills in 1983.

"We rallied behind Josh today," said Moropoulos. "The great thing is he had already contributed this year as a wide receiver and quarterback. He came through on a big day. He's a class kid and I'm really proud of him."

The Vaqueros didn't have a turnover and forced three with Morgan Nevin getting his first interception and Zack Arnell notching his third in the third quarter. Nevin, the state leader in tackles, had 12 tackles and Aaron Cobb and Dillon Sheedy added seven each.

"We came out fired up on defense and wanted to keep that goose egg on the board," said Nevin. "We did a good job today as a whole. I got my first interception but I still need to work on my breakaway speed and stiff-arm a little bit.

"It feels good to be 5-0. We're still hungry to keep going and keep making history."

Santa Barbara scored on its first two possessions of the second half, boosting the lead to 30-0 on a 32-yard field goal by Marcus Hoerberg with 8:28 to play.

The Cougars (1-4, 0-2) got on the board late in the third period after Faylen Bush blocked a punt and fell on the ball at the SBCC 45. Five plays later, Latrell Flowers burst up the middle for a 31-yard touchdown.

SBCC responded with a 60-yard drive in seven plays. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Martin hit Petersen on a middle screen and he weaved his way through defenders for a 27-yard score that made it 37-7.

The Vaqueros went 55 yards in 10 plays for their final TD, a 1-yard run by Brown. SBCC ran for 154 yards and outgained the Cougars 352-195 on the day.

There was a scary moment with 8:03 to play when Carr tackled Aaron Gaines and forced a fumble, which the Vaqueros recovered. An ambulance came on the field and Gaines was taken to the hospital.

SBCC has a bye on Saturday, then travels to Antelope Valley for a 7 p.m. game on Oct. 19.