PREP FOOTBALL : Valencia Gets Easy Win Over El Dorado, 41-10 : Second Straight Lopsided Victory Helps Tigers to Forget Opening-Game Tie

In the aftermath of Valencia High School’s 14-14 tie with Westminster the first week of the season, there were a couple of options for the Tigers.

First, they could have fretted about the might-have-beens. A Valencia fumble at Westminster’s 10-yard line with 1:34 remaining cost them a possible victory. The season would have started out with a win over the No. 1-ranked team.

Or, the Tigers could consider the tie a positive start and gain some confidence from the result.

After two more nonleague games, it is apparent Valencia hasn’t let the might-have-beens haunt them. The Tigers came through with their second straight lopsided victory, a 41-10 win over El Dorado at Placentia’s Bradford Stadium Friday night.

The outcome wasn’t in question very long. Valencia’s Tony Goulet settled that matter rather quickly. The senior running back finished with 5 touchdowns in 12 carries for 176 yards. Paul Rivera had five extra-point kicks and quarterback Chris DeRisio threw one touchdown.

“We did a good job on the line tonight,” Valencia Coach Mike Marrujo said. “Both Tony and (Dorian) Estes did good things.”

That was illustrated on the Tigers’ first scoring drive. A 39-yard run by Estes set up Goulet’s first touchdown. On the next play, Goulet ran up the middle for 38 yards and Rivera’s extra point made it 7-0.

Valencia (2-0-1) scored four more touchdowns before the end of the half. Goulet had three of them, coming on runs of 1, 44 and 16 yards.

In the third quarter, El Dorado (0-3) averted the shutout with quarterback Doug Yates’ eight-yard pass to Ken Crompton. Eddie Keller’s 42-yard field goal for El Dorado finished the scoring.

By that time, Goulet, Estes and Co. were enjoying the game from the sideline.

They definitely weren’t fretting.