Servite refuses to give a pass to Esperanza

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Esperanza Coach Bill Pendleton was not blinded by his team’s 10-1 record going into Friday’s Pac-5 Division quarterfinal game against third-seeded Servite.

He understood that while his Aztecs’ veer, run-oriented offense could be difficult to prepare for, it was not infallible. And if they could not pass the ball enough to keep opposing defenses honest, their running game could be bottled up.

That’s exactly what happened at Cal State Fullerton. Servite (9-2) didn’t score much in its 10-7 victory. But the Friars gave up only one touchdown drive of 45 yards and limited the running of tailback Reid Williams (73 yards) and quarterback Sean McDonald (48 yards). When McDonald tried to pass, he completed only one of seven attempts for 20 yards.

‘We haven’t been a big-play team,’ Pendleton said. ‘That’s kind of been our Achilles heel -- we’re not real explosive. We’re solid on defense and offense, but we almost had to play a perfect game to win. We didn’t make many mistakes but we made a few too many to win. And give the credit to Servite, they are very solid.’

-- Mike Terry