Rancho Santiago, Fullerton in Bowls

Rancho Santiago, as expected and Fullerton, in a mild surprise, received bowl bids Sunday.

Rancho Santiago, the champion of the Mission Conference Central Division, and Los Angeles Valley, both 9-1, have accepted invitations to meet in the Dec. 3 Simple Green Orange County Bowl.

Fullerton (6-3-1) plays Allan Hancock (7-3) also Dec. 3 in Santa Maria in the K-Swiss Bowl.

Rancho Santiago won its final nine games after losing to El Camino in the opener. The Dons, the top-ranked team in Southern California, set a single-season record for points scored with 426.

Rancho Santiago is fourth in the J.C. Grid-Wire national rankings.

“This is just such a special group of kids,” Rancho Santiago Coach Dave Ogas said after his team ended the regular season Saturday with a 52-21 victory over Saddleback. “I’m happiest for them and the coaches. They all worked so hard.”

Los Angeles Valley, ranked 16th by the J.C. Grid-Wire, ended the season with a 42-0 victory over Santa Monica.

This is the first bowl appearance for Rancho Santiago since the Dons beat Moorpark in the same game. This year’s game starts at 1:30 p.m.

Fullerton finished second behind Rancho Santiago in the Central Division. The teams were tied at 4-0 when they met Nov. 12 but Rancho Santiago won, 34-7. Fullerton ended the regular season with a 54-42 victory over Southwestern.

Fullerton’s last bowl appearance came in 1991 when the Hornets beat Santa Barbara. Fullerton fell to 1-9 in 1992 then was 3-7 last season for first-year Coach Gene Murphy.