PREP FOOTBALL : Struggling El Modena Shut Out by Esperanza

Oh, how the mighty have fallen. Remember when El Modena High School was a powerhouse in prep football?

It was only last season that the Vanguards had advanced to the semifinal round of the Southern Conference playoffs for an eighth consecutive year.

But these days, the Vanguards look like a shadow of those glory teams. On Friday night, they stumbled to another loss, this time being shut out by Esperanza, 28-0, in front of 3,000 fans in Placentia’s Bradford Stadium.

El Modena has yet to score in the 1986 season and has allowed 63 points in two games, but Vanguard Coach Bill Backstrom isn’t ready to push the panic button.

“We’re basically going through a CIF round right now with a very young team,” Backstrom said. “We’ve played Edison and Esperanza and they’re two of the best teams in Southern California. I just keep telling everyone to be patient.”

But the Vanguard boosters have grown accustomed to winning. They plan those tailgate parties during the playoffs in early September.

For all intents and purposes, this game was over by the end of the first quarter. Esperanza had opened a 21-0 lead behind the passing of quarterback Mike Moneymaker and the rushing of tailback Mike Miscione.

Unlike Backstrom, first-year Coach Gary Meek of Esperanza had the pleasure of inheriting a veteran team from Pete Yoder when Yoder resigned only days before the start of the season.

Moneymaker lived up to his name by passing for two touchdowns in the opening period. He threw a short jump pass to Miscione for a two-yard score and then connected with Don Herrick on a 74-yard touchdown play that put the Aztecs ahead, 21-0.

Herrick caught the ball at the El Modena 40-yard line and then beat the Vanguards’ free safety, Ross Bauer, to the end zone for the score. Moneymaker completed 10 of 19 pass attempts for 196 yards.

Miscione was equally impressive. He scored on the first play of the game, running 71 yards for a touchdown after it appeared that he had been stopped for a five-yard gain. Miscione scored three touchdowns by halftime and finished with 161 yards rushing.

There were also some defensive heroes for Esperanza. Tackle Mark Brower recovered a fumble to set up the Aztecs’ first touchdown, and cornerback Bart Goldman intercepted two passes, the first one leading to his team’s fourth touchdown.

“I was impressed with the play of both our offensive and defensive lines,” Meek said. “Last week, a 17-0 win over Marina, we relied on big plays to score. This week, we put together some good drives to score.”

El Modena managed only 46 yards rushing, but Backstrom said that phase of the Vanguards’ game will improve next week when Bauer returns to the offensive lineup.

“Ross was cutting gingerly during practice this week, so I decided to play him only on defensive,” Backstrom said. “We gotta get some offense, but I did what I felt was right. I think you’ll see Ross back next week.”