Irvine rising

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It’s been a long time since Irvine really had something to crow about, but the Vaqueros were monsters Thursday against Woodbridge. DJ Crumlich completed 12 of 13 passes for 167 yards and four touchdowns in the first half, and Irvine beat the Warriors, 42-13.

It’s been a several seasons since Irvine opened the season with back-to-back victories. When I arrived in Orange County in 1993, Irvine had one of the best programs around, and Terry Henigan was one of the most respected coaches in the county. He’s still one of the most respected coaches around, but Irvine has undergone a lot of changes in the last 15 years. Other Irvine schools such as Beckman and Northwood have opened and Irvine is smaller. It’s even playing in the Pacific Coast League, a step down from the old Sea View League. But Henigan can still get the most out of a team.

A week ago, Crumlich ran for a touchdown and passed for another in the fourth quarter to give Irvine a 20-19 come-from-behind victory over Elsinore.

‘They’ve worked hard,’ Henigan said. ‘We don’t have a lot of kids, and we’re not real big, but they give us everything they’ve got. We’re not going to really impress anybody, but we’re going to play hard for four quarters.’

And that’s something Irvine has been doing for more than 15 years.

- Martin Henderson