PREP FOOTBALL : Katella’s Speed Is Too Much for Orange, Knights Win, 20-0

S.K. Johnson, Orange High School coach, didn’t have to search long and hard to find an explanation for his team’s 20-0 loss to Katella Thursday night at Fred Kelly Stadium. Two words covered it.

“Speed kills,” he said.

The speed of Katella quarterback Greg Portis and running back Terry Johnson layed the Panthers to rest in front of a sparse crowd of 500, more than half of which were Orange mourners.

It began on the first play from scrimmage, when Portis took a snap at the Katella 24-yard line, dropped back a few steps, then tucked the ball away and began to run. He kept running for 76 yards and a Katella touchdown that came just 40 seconds into the game.

Orange spent the better part of the evening chasing Portis, rarely catching him before he had made sizeable gains. The 5-foot 8-inch senior finished with 158 yards on 20 carries, for an average of almost eight yards per attempt.

And when Portis wasn’t keeping the ball, he was handing off to Johnson, who came into the game as Orange County’s seventh-leading rusher. Johnson finished with 170 yards and 2 touchdowns on 24 carries. Johnson rushed for 97 yards in the second half to raise his season total to 389.

The victory was Katella’s first of the season against two defeats. Orange opens Century League play next week against Canyon with an 0-3 record.