PREP FOOTBALL : Western Beats La Quinta in a Rout : Turnovers Turn Game Against Aztecs; QB Debbs Injured

When two La Quinta High School players had to carry injured Aztec quarterback Derek Debbs off the field in the second period of Friday night’s nonleague game against Western, they brought with them all hopes of a La Quinta victory.

The Aztecs were trailing the Pioneers by 11 points when Debbs suffered a bruised shin after being sacked, and after his departure La Quinta fell apart.

Reserve quarterback Darren Kerr’s first pass was intercepted and returned for a touchdown. Alan Stevenson’s fumble on the Aztecs’ next offensive play led to another Pioneer touchdown.

When it was over, after La Quinta had committed seven turnovers, Western gained a 35-11 victory in front of 700 fans at Bolsa Grande High School in Garden Grove.

Art Giovannini rushed for 55 yards and two touchdowns, and quarterback Mike Huy threw for a touchdown and had two interceptions as the Pioneers, who scored 21 points in the second period, improved to 2-1.

La Quinta dropped to 1-2, but there was some good news for the Aztecs. Debbs, who had thrown for 515 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first three games, said his injury wasn’t serious, and that he should return to practice next week.

The Aztecs couldn’t muster much of an offense without him. Kerr’s first pass was intercepted by Brian Nauenburg and returned 45 yards for a touchdown. That was his first of four interceptions.

Stevenson then fumbled at the Aztecs’ four-yard line with Western’s Ron Madrid recovering. After a penalty, Giovannini ran 13 yards for his first touchdown and a 28-3 lead.

Western closed a scoreless third period with a 93-yard pass play from Huy to John Fields, who outran the Aztec secondary but slipped and fell at the three-yard line as time ran out. Giovannini then scored from a yard out and David Brown kicked his fifth extra point to make it 35-3.

Stevenson, who finished with 112 yards in 19 carries, finally got La Quinta into the end zone with a one-yard run with 6:04 to play.

After the opening kickoff, Western, utilizing a full-house backfield with Giovannini, Jim Howell and Carl Manliguis, drove 79 yards in 12 plays, all running, for the game’s first touchdown. Manliguis, who left in the second quarter with an ankle injury, scored from four yards out.

The Aztecs came right back with Brian Giuliano’s field goal to cut the lead to 7-3, but Western made it 14-3 on the first play of the second quarter when Huy teamed with Fields on an 11-yard scoring pass.

Howell finished with 52 yards rushing on 12 carries, and Manliguis had 37 yards on 9 attempts.