Vista Stops Upset Bid to Get Win

Vista High School’s offensive backfield of quarterback Sal Aunese, tailback Roger Price and fullback Brett Smith is generally recognized as the finest in San Diego County.

Against No. 6 Orange Glen Friday night, those three players had to use all of their talents to help the No. 3 Panthers turn back a determined upset bid and defeat the Patriots, 29-21, in a Palomar League Game at Orange Glen.

“I’ll tell you what,” Aunese said. “Everyone talked about what a big game it was for them, but we’re the defending league champions and wanted it badly, too.”

And the reason Vista got it was because of its backfield.

Consider:

--Aunese, The Times’ second-team All-County quarterback a year ago, completed only four passes on the night, but two--including one of the “Hail Mary” variety--went for touchdowns. He also rushed 13 times for 96 yards, scored 2 touchdowns and threw a pair of two-point conversions.

--Price, slowed a bit by a field that had been watered down the night before, got going in the second half to rush for 139 on 20 carries

After Orange Glen had pulled within 23-21 with 6:37 left, Price carried six straight times on the ensuing drive for 54 yards to help Vista extend its lead.

“These are the kind of games that you don’t want to play every week,” Price said. “I was very, very tired in the fourth quarter. They’re a very good ballclub.”

--And then there was Smith. Used simply as a blocker for Price throughout most of the game on offense, Smith came up with the game’s biggest play on defense, intercepting Orange Glen quarterback Brett Salisbury’s pass on the Vista 6-yard line with 31 seconds left to play to preserve the victory.

“It really took a great effort for us to win, but the best team won it,” Vista Coach Dick Haines said.

To its credit, Orange Glen did nothing to diminish its ranking, driving for a pair of second-half scores and putting quite a scare in the defending league champs.

Salisbury, the county’s second ranked quarterback, completed 14 of 29 passes for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns. Wide receiver, Matt Fiorello caught 8 passes for 144 yards and 1 touchdown.

In the first half, Aunese completed only two passes but both went for touchdowns, helping Vista take a 15-7 lead.

On the final play before the break, Aunese scrambled to his right and lofted a 49-yard touchdown pass to split end Mike Jones to break a 7-7 tie. Jones tiptoed the right sideline and came down with the ball between two Patriot defenders as time ran out.

Aunese’s other completion was a 14-yard touchdown pass to Price that put Vista ahead, 7-0, eight minutes into the first quarter.

Vista linebacker Matt Sprint set up the score with a one-handed interception of Salisbury’s first pass of the game. Earlier, Sprint had dropped a pass from Aunese on the goal line that would have surely resulted in a Vista score. This time, he reached behind him to snare Salisbury’s pass and returned it to the Orange Glen 23. After Vista scored, Salisbury drove Orange Glen 56 yards on four plays to tie the contest midway through the second quarter.

Salisbury completed three passes to Fiorello, including a 22-yard touchdown pass that made it 7-7 5:39 before the half.