Esperanza Still Looking for Momentum After 21-7 Defeat

The momentum Esperanza High School has been searching for since a damp December night last year finally came out of hiding Friday night. But just as the Aztecs seemed to have it within their grasp, it slipped away.

Fumbled snaps, handoffs that nearly became handouts and a inoffensive first half turned away the Aztecs in their attempt to make amends for a 26-0 loss to El Modena in the 1984 Southern Conference championship game.

Meanwhile, the good times just keep rolling at El Modena. The Vanguards compiled 229 yards in total offense--170 of which came in the first half--en route to a 21-7 win over Esperanza in front of 3,200 spectators and a television crew in Fred Kelly Stadium. It was the 10th straight win for El Modena, a streak dating back to last October, and Esperanza’s third consecutive defeat.

Given his choice, Pete Yoder, Esperanza coach, probably wouldn’t tune in the tape-delay broadcast of this game until the second half. There were no halftime highlights for the Aztecs.

El Modena, which held Edison to just 27 yards in total offense in a 14-0 upset over the Chargers last Friday, continued its unyielding defense against the Aztecs. Esperanza was held to zero yards rushing and 18 passing in the first half. The Aztecs had only one first down, and that came when El Modena was called for holding on an Aztec punt.

Of course, it’s a little hard to move the ball when your opponent won’t let you have it. And El Modena is not one to share.

The Vanguards, who entered the game as Orange County’s No. 1 team, moved 68 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-0 lead on their first possession of the game. Quarterback Chris Gallego finished the drive by rolling to his right and throwing to John Thompson for a 6-yard touchdown pass with 4:11 left in the first quarter.

Two more Esperanza possessions resulted in punts, the second of which left the ball on the El Modena 8 yard-line. The Vanguards got the ball with 8:30 left in the first half, and finally reached the Esperanza end zone 18 plays and eight minutes later. Junior running back Ross Bauer, who rushed for 80 yards and caught three passes for 39 yards in last season’s championship game, capped the drive with a 2-yard scoring run. Eric Watson’s conversion kick gave El Modena a 14-0, halftime lead.

Things finally began to go right for Esperanza in the second half. The Aztecs forced an El Modena punt to open the third quarter, then drove 70 yards in 12 plays, including a pass interference penalty against the Vanguards, for their first score of the game. Tailback Mike Miscione, who, according to Yoder, sprained his ankle on the first play of the game, scored from 2 yards out to cut El Modena’s lead to 14-7 with 4:58 left in the third quarter.

At the outset of the fourth quarter, Esperanza moved the ball to the El Modena 46 before quarterback Greg Beckman’s pass fell incomplete on fourth-and-4. The Aztecs would get one more opportunity to tie, but let it slip through their hands.

On a third-dowm play from the Esperanza 28, Beckman mishandled the snap and fell on the ball for no gain. The same thing happened on fourth down, and El Modena took possession with the clinching touchdown 30 yards away. Bauer covered 27 of those yards, including 6 on a touchdown run around left end with 1:02 to play.

“I can’t remember the last time we ever fumbled a snap, in practice or in a game,” Yoder said.

The Aztecs fumbled four times in all. None of them led to turnovers, but all of them kept momentum at a distance.