Santa Ana Surprises Lynwood

Halfback Robert Lee ran for 163 yards and two touchdowns Friday night as Santa Ana High School upset top-seeded Lynwood High, 29-3, in the opening round of the Southern Conference football playoffs.

A crowd of about 2,000 at Knight Field in Lynwood watched Lee lead the Saints (7-4) to a 21-3 halftime lead. Lee, a 6-foot, 200-pound sophomore, ran for 95 yards in the first half.

He opened the game with a 40-yard run up the middle from the Saint 34 and added eight more on the next three plays. Eric Turner’s 14-yard scoring pass to Lanier Bridges gave Santa Ana the lead with three minutes gone.

In the second quarter, Santa Ana linebacker Brian Thomas intercepted a pass and returned it seven yards to the Lynwood 29 to set up the second score. Lee ended the three-play drive with an 8-yard run.

Lynwood’s Gerry Garcia kicked a 27-yard field goal with 3:11 in the half, but Turner drove Santa Ana 45 yards in two minutes following a botched on-side kick by the Knights. Fullback Emele Leausa bulled his way over from the 3 for the score to cap the five-play drive.

Lee also scored on a 4-yard run in the fourth quarter.

Lynwood quarterback Anthony Burnett, a converted wide receiver, was constantly pressured by the Saint front four. He was sacked six times and forced out of the pocket on all but two of his 10 pass attempts. He completed five for 50 yards. He was intercepted twice.

“We were overrated and they were underrated,” said Lynwood Coach Larry Anderson.

Earlier in the week, Anderson expressed concern that Santa Ana had finished third in a league (Century) that had the three best teams in the conference.

This marked the third time since 1979 that Lynwood, which finished the season with a 9-2 record, had entered the playoffs as the top seed, only to be knocked off in the first round by an unseeded opponent.