Sunny Hills Edges Canyon in Penalty-Filled Game

Canyon High School was well-prepared for the arm of Sunny Hills quarterback David Chisum and the hands of receiver Tim Imperiali Thursday night, but the Comanches weren’t quite ready for the foot of Lancer punter Scott Edmonds.

Edmonds angled a punt from midfield toward the left sideline that went out of bounds inside the Canyon one-yard line late in the third period.

On the Comanches’ ensuing play, Sunny Hills lineman Shannon Lawler tackled Ray Shull in the end zone for a safety, which turned out to be the game’s only points, as the Lancers held on for a 2-0 nonleague victory in Orange’s Fred Kelly Stadium.

A crowd of about 500 watched the teams combine for 185 yards in penalties and only 254 yards in total offense. Neither offense got within 10 yards of the end zone.

Shull’s 12-yard run, which gave the Comanches an apparent first-and-goal at the Sunny Hills one-yard line in the first quarter, was nullified because of a holding penalty. That drive later ended with an interception.

The Comanches, penalized 10 times for 110 yards, had pass plays of 16 and 10 yards called back in the second and fourth quarters.

“No runs, no hits . . . but plenty of errors,” Canyon Coach Rod Hust said. “We’ve been self-destructing all year.”

The game was low-scoring but there wasn’t much pitching. Chisum began the night as Orange County’s top-rated passer, having completed 21 of 32 attempts for 523 yards and 4 touchdowns, but the Comanches (1-3) harassed him into completing just 4 of 11 passes for 52 yards. Canyon sacked Chisum six times for 63 yards.

Imperiali, considered one of the county’s best receivers, caught just one pass for 16 yards. The Lancers (4-0) were penalized 9 times for 75 yards.

“It’s nice to win, but it wasn’t very pretty,” Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney said. “We weren’t able to move the ball, and that’s disappointing. I don’t know if we were ready to play football tonight.”

Canyon quarterback Matt Waddell, an All-Century League receiver in 1985, completed 6 of 15 passes for 48 yards. Shull ran for 56 yards in 10 carries, while Sunny Hills was led offensively by Juan Ricoy, who gained 65 yards in 8 carries.