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Gauld heading to San Diego State

By Kenny Cress/Sports Writer

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Riley Gauld from Hancock football and a Santa Ynez High School graduate will attend San Diego State University on a football scholarship, it was announced during a ceremony at Hancock College. //Bryan Walton/Staff

Some people agonize for months before they decide on a four-year college or university to go to.

Riley Gauld is not one of those people.

It took the Hancock College sophomore one visit at San Diego State University to decide that was the place for him. It helped, the 6-5, 299-pounder noted wryly, that the Aztecs have given him a full-ride football scholarship for the two years he plannned to play there.

“I made a visit there, and right away it seemed like a good fit,” Gauld said during a signing ceremony Wednesday, Dec. 16, in Bulldog coach Kris Dutra’s office at Hancock. “I decided the first weekend in December that I would go there.

“I liked the campus, the football program and coaching staff seemed like a good fit, and I like their business program.” Gauld said he will major in Business at San Diego State.

Gauld was a formidable right tackle for Santa Ynez High School. He was a formidable quick side tackle for Hancock. The First Team All SCFA Northern Conference selection helped the Bulldogs to a 9-2 overall record, their best season since 1990.

Bakersfield, the last time in the first round of the SCFA Playoffs, was the only team that beat Hancock in 2009.

Gauld was Second Team All-Conference in 2008. Besides being a medalist in the CIF Southern Section divisional finals in the shot put at Santa Ynez, he earned All-League, All-Santa Barbara County and Lee Central Coast Newspapers All-Area honors as a right tackle there.

After garnering all those accolades at tackle, Gauld won’t be playing there at San Diego State.

Gauld will be a guard. “Actually, I think I’ll prefer the responsibilities of playing guard,” he said.

He may have to pull on a lot of plays at San Diego State but, “I won’t have to worry about (blocking) that fast guy around the edge like I do at tackle.”

Bulldogs backs ran a lot behind Gauld as he helped Hancock pile up the most rushing yardage among California community college teams in 2009.

He helped the Bulldogs to a 7-4 finish, and a berth in the inaugural SCFA Playoffs, in 2008. Hancock lost to eventual SCFA champion Mt. San Antonio College in the first round.

The Mounties won the 2009 state championship.

Dutra said he thinks Gauld has a chance to make a quick impact at San Diego State. “He might have to hit the weights some,” the ninth-year Bulldogs head coach said. “But I think the situation will be a real good fit for him.”

Gauld said he talked with Nevada, but that San Diego State had been his first choice for some time. “They were the most straightforward,” he said.