Comets Show Fight but Fall to Saddleback

SAN MARCOS, CA (10/25/2025) -- Palomar returned home on Saturday night for its eighth game of the season, battling visiting Saddleback College through a physical four quarters before falling 31-10.

The Bobcats struck first midway through the opening quarter, but Palomar responded with a long, methodical drive of its own. Carson Beard capped a 12-play, 58-yard series with a 30-yard field goal, trimming the deficit to 7-3. Saddleback added two more scores before halftime to take a 17-3 lead into the break.

The Comets continued to grind in the second half, moving the ball effectively behind a pair of quarterbacks in KJ Chatham and Jakob Harris, who combined for 250 passing yards on 29 completions. Palomar put together its best drive of the night in the fourth quarter — a 10-play, 69-yard march capped by a one-yard touchdown run from Giovanni Harte to make it 31-10.

Receiver Micah Johnson turned in another strong performance, leading the offense with nine receptions for 144 yards, including several key grabs to keep drives alive. Furious Hoskins added eight catches for 49 yards, while Michael Perry-Mack, Evan Hiremath, and Logan Cella contributed in the short passing game. Harris finished 17-of-23 for 82 yards, and Chatham went 12-of-27 for 168.

Defensively, Isaiah Strong led the Comets with seven total tackles, while Bubba Garcia matched him with six. Lucas Valencia added three tackles, and Bunta Shimoharaguchi recorded Palomar's lone sack of the game. Tanner Doyle, Hunter Stowe, and Evan Surray each contributed multiple tackles as the defense forced two fumbles and kept Saddleback from breaking big plays down the stretch.

Despite the loss, Palomar held even with Saddleback in first downs (21-21) and time of possession, controlling the ball for over 34 minutes. The Comets' passing game showed rhythm, and the defense continued to battle against a top-tier Bobcat squad now 7-1 on the year.

The Comets (1-7, 0-5 PCAC) will look to regroup and turn their offensive consistency into points as they hit the road to face Chaffey College on Saturday at 1 p.m.