SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Southern Conference : El Modena Beats Capo Valley, 33-10

Bob Lester, El Modena High School football coach, had seen this all before.

A playoff opponent with star players and record breakers who figured to challenge the Vanguards and, perhaps, even defeat them.

Last year, it was Esperanza. The Aztecs featured tailback Jim Farrell, who had scored an Orange County record 32 touchdowns, and quarterback Greg Beckman, who had passed for more than 2,000 yards. They were heavily favored to defeat El Modena in the Southern Conference championship game.

The Vanguards dumped the Aztecs, 26-0.

This year, it was Capistrano Valley. Highly touted quarterback Scott Stark had shattered the Orange County single-season passing record, and he had talented receivers in Nathan Call and Todd Beightol. The Cougars were supposed to extend the Vanguards Saturday night in the Southern Conference quarterfinals.

When are they going to learn?

Once again, El Modena completely dominated an upstart opponent, stuffing Capistrano Valley, 33-10, in front of 5,000 fans on the Cougars’ field.

The Vanguards, two-time defending Southern Conference champions, will meet Century League rival Santa Ana in next week’s semifinals. El Modena defeated Santa Ana, 24-7, in the regular season five weeks ago.

Saturday night’s game wasn’t even close. The Vanguards (10-1) rolled up 453 yards in total offense and held the Cougars to 139, including minus 29 rushing.

Running back Ross Bauer led the assault with 208 yards in 35 carries. He scored two touchdowns and passed for another. Quarterback Chris Gallego also had an excellent game, completing 12 of 21 attempts for 165 yards and a touchdown.

It was a rather inglorious ending for Stark, who was last seen chasing after a high snap delivered from his 35-yard line in the game’s final moments. The senior, who had passed for 3,154 yards to move into second place on the Southern Section all-time, single-season passing list, couldn’t get a grip on the ball and eventually batted it out of his own end zone for an El Modena safety with two seconds left.

It was not indicative of the kind of season Stark has had, but it was a fitting end to a most frustrating game. Stark, under constant pressure from an El Modena line that simply outmatched Capistrano Valley’s, completed just 12 of 25 attempts for 168 yards and was unable to reach the end zone. He had thrown 29 touchdown passes this year.

Capistrano Valley mounted just one threat. Trailing by 14 points, the Cougars began to drive late in the third quarter. But Stark fumbled a snap from the shotgun formation and El Modena’s Allen Ennis recovered at the Cougar 27-yard line.

The Vanguards went on to score, Bauer rushing for the touchdown from eight yards out, and take a 31-10 lead.

Capistrano Valley scored its only touchdown when Steve Tullar returned a kickoff 83 yards for a score late in the second period. All that did was make it 21-7, El Modena.

The Vanguards had 270 total yards by halftime, including 127 rushing by Bauer and 127 passing by Gallego. Capistrano Valley’s offense was on the field for just 5 1/2 minutes of the first two periods. The Cougars ran 15 plays, 3 of those punts by Stark.

El Modena’s offensive line of center Tim Haapala, guards Allen Ennis and Grant Grable, and tackles Don Gibson and Robert Nasser pushed the Cougars all over the field to help the Vanguards scored on drives of 65, 89 and 72 yards in the first half.

After forcing a punt on Capistrano Valley’s first possession, El Modena drove from its 35-yard line to the Cougar 22, with Bauer rushing 6 times for 43 yards on the drive. On a third-and-five, Bauer took a pitch from Gallego, rolled right and hit John Thompson in the end zone for a touchdown.

From El Modena’s 11-yard line on the Vanguards’ next possession, Bauer burst through the line for a 27-yard gain and Gallego teamed with Darren DeFeo for a 30-yard pass play. El Modena scored on Bauer’s 2-yard run on the first play of the second quarter. Eric Watson added his second of four extra points for a 14-0 lead.

The Vanguards made it 21-0 when Gallego passed 12 yards over the middle to Sean Cleary, who made the catch and fell into the end zone with 3:27 left in the half.

Watson added a 31-yard field goal in the third period. Cougar kicker Erik Hannah kicked a 27-yard field goal in the third quarter to close out Capistrano Valley’s scoring.

Southern Section Single-Season Passing

Pos. Player (School) Year Yards 1. Mike Smith (Los Altos) 1982 3,437 2. Scott Stark (Capistrano Valley) 1985 3,154 3. Pat Haden (Bishop Amat) 1970 3,127 4. Michael Johnson (Baldwin Park) 1984 3,076 5. Pat Haden (Bishop Amat) 1969 3,008

OC Single-Season Receiving Leaders

Pos. Player (School) Year Rec. 1. Robby Katzaroff (Los Alamitos) 1985 93 2. David Sepulveda (Fullerton) 1984 81 3. Dan Bauer (Costa Mesa) 1979 74 4. Nathan Call (Capistrano Valley) 1985 73 5. Jamie Craft (Fountain Valley) 1983 69 Todd Beightol (Capo Valley) 1985 69