Century League : El Modena Rushes to 24-7 Win

Santa Ana High School discovered the perfect way to stop El Modena running back Ross Bauer Friday night--simply tackle Vanguard quarterback Chris Gallego before he can hand Bauer the ball.

That strategy worked once in the third period when blitzing Saint linebacker Bryan Thomas gathered Gallego in his arms before he could give the ball to Bauer. If only Santa Ana would have used those methods more often.

Except for that play, Bauer got the best of the Saints, as he rushed for 199 yards in 30 carries and scored a touchdown to lead the Vanguards to a 24-7 victory in a Century League game played in Santa Ana Stadium.

Bauer, a junior who plays linebacker and returns punts and kickoffs, also caught 3 passes for 54 yards in an outstanding individual performance. He has gained 1,230 yards and scored 16 touchdowns this season.

El Modena’s offensive line, which features Don Gibson, Allen Ennis, Robert Nasser, Grant Grable and Tim Haapala, deserves much of the credit for Bauer’s success. He is usually five yards into the defensive secondary before he gets hit.

But Bauer got plenty of extra yardage himself Friday night by either eluding Saint defenders with his shifty running style and quickness or barreling over them with his strength.

“He’s an excellent runner,” Santa Ana Coach Dick Hill said. “You’ve got to hit him, stay in front of him and tackle him hard. Everyone seems to tackle poorly against him.”

Bauer didn’t earn the respect of all the Saints, though. It seems that one Santa Ana player punched him in the face when the teams were shaking hands after the game.

Bauer, who was fuming over the incident and feuding with several opposing players throughout the game, didn’t see who hit him. Hill did, but he chose not to identify him.

“It was a kid who doesn’t even play,” Hill said. “It’s an embarrassment to us. We talked to him and we’ll work with him. It’s a situation we have to work at all the time.”

The Saints might slip in a little work on the offensive line, while they’re at it. Santa Ana quarterback Eric Turner was on the run all night. The Vanguards sacked him four times and pressured him into completing just 5 of 18 passes for 65 yards. He passed five yards to Robert Lee in the fourth quarter for the Saints’ only touchdown.

El Modena broke the game open in the third quarter when it scored 17 points to take a 24-0 lead. The Vanguards opened the period by driving from their 29-yard line to the Saint 7, where Eric Watson kicked a 24-yard field goal.

Santa Ana’s Royal Wilbon fumbled the ensuing kickoff, and Jeff Blake recovered for El Modena at the nine-yard line. Three plays later, Bauer ran six yards around the right side for the score and Watson added his second of three extra points.

After forcing a punt on Santa Ana’s next possession, El Modena drove 64 yards in 7 plays, Gallego passing 17 yards to Scott Robinette for the touchdown. Gallego finished with 155 yards passing, completing 10 of 18 attempts.

El Modena scored the first half’s only touchdown when Darren DeFeo capped a 16-play, 99-yard drive with a 3-yard run on a reverse handoff from Gallego.

The Saints pinned the Vanguards deep in their own territory by downing Turner’s punt at the one-yard line midway through the first period, but El Modena maintained possession for eight minutes on the drive, as DeFeo scored with 9:54 left in the second quarter. Bauer, who ran for 129 yards in the first half, carried the ball 10 times for 76 yards on the drive.

In other Century League action:

Santa Ana Valley 29, Orange 14--The Falcons broke a 17-game losing streak that dated back to 1983 by defeating the Panthers before 1,200 in Fred Kelly Stadium. Santa Ana Valley (1-4, 1-7) took a 22-0 lead and held on to keep Orange (0-5, 0-8) winless.

Wayne Mack rushed for 205 yards and 2 touchdowns in 30 carries and quarterback James Shipp rushed for 50 yards in 8 carries to lead the Saints.

Two bad Orange punt snaps led to nine Santa Ana Valley points. In the first quarter, the Panthers snapped the ball out of their own end zone, giving the Falcons a safety. In the final quarter, Dion Evans recovered a snap that sailed over the head of Orange punter Victor Esparza for a touchdown.