Empire League : Loara Ties Esperanza in Opener

Neither Esperanza High School nor Loara looked like undefeated football teams during Friday night’s Empire League opener, as the schools combined for 11 turnovers and 17 penalties.

A crowd of 4,000 in Placentia’s Bradford Stadium, quiet for most of the evening, saw the kind of game that neither the Aztecs nor the Saxons deserved to win.

So, it seemed only fitting that it ended in a 14-14 tie.

Loara kicker Jeff Patterson missed a 41-yard field goal with 8:32 remaining that could have broke the tie.

Esperanza kicker Brian Aube missed a 38-yard field goal with 5:48 left that could have put the Aztecs in front.

Esperanza quarterback Mike Moneymaker, trying to start a game-winning drive in the final minute, threw an interception at the Aztec 45-yard line with 39 seconds to go.

Loara quarterback Bill Jarman returned the favor, throwing an interception with 10 seconds left. It was that kind of night.

Both defenses were exceptional, but it could hardly be classified as a great defensive game--not with the way the offenses fouled things up.

Moneymaker, Orange County’s fourth-rated passer who had thrown just one interception in three previous games, was intercepted twice. Tailback Mike Miscione, a usually reliable back who ranks second among county rushers, fumbled twice.

His first fumble, which was recovered by Loara defensive end Denny Blacketer in the end zone, allowed the Saxons (3-0-1) to tie the game, 14-14, in the third period. Jarman passed to Tony Ferrentino for the two-point conversion.

Loara’s starting quarterback, Scott Wood, was intercepted three times, and one of his errant passes was returned for an Esperanza touchdown. The Saxons also lost a fumble.

“We gave them a touchdown and they gave us one,” Loara Coach Herb Hill said. “Those things don’t usually even out, but tonight they did.”

Esperanza (3-0-1) committed 3 of its 6 turnovers and was penalized 6 times for 63 yards in the first half but still led, 7-6, at halftime thanks to Kevin Webb’s 62-yard return of an interception for a touchdown.

The Saxons, leading, 6-0, had moved from their own 21-yard line to the Aztec 32 in two plays--Brian Malavar’s 30-yard run and Wood’s 17-yard pass to Ferrentino.

But Wood, under heavy pressure from an Esperanza blitz, tried to unload a screen pass that Webb intercepted at the 38. Webb then raced untouched into the end zone for the score. It marked the first points Loara had given up this season. Aube added the extra point for the Aztecs.

Loara’s first-period touchdown was set up by Bob Titus’ 62-yard run, which gave the Saxons a first and goal at the Aztec three-yard line. Wood then completed a play-action pass to tight end Edy Andros for the score, but Patterson’s extra-point try sailed left.

Esperanza didn’t look sharp in the first half. Moneymaker completed 5 of 8 passes for 103 yards but was intercepted once. Two of his receivers, Bob Conner and Clint Holt, also fumbled after making receptions of 24 and 48 yards.

The Aztecs, however, came out strong in the second half when Clint Holt intercepted a Wood pass and returned 31 yards to the Loara 24 with 9:45 left in the third quarter.

Miscione ran 14 yards to the 10, but a holding penalty pushed the Aztecs back to the 20. That didn’t hold them back, though. Miscione burst through the middle and ran 20 yards for a touchdown, and Aube’s PAT made it Esperanza, 14-6.

Loara threatened to score on its next possession when the Saxons had a second and goal from the Esperanza two-yard line. But the Aztecs limited Malavar to one yard on two attempts, and Dean Sage then tackled Andy Janney short of the end zone on fourth down, giving Esperanza the ball at the one.

But three plays later, Moneymaker’s pitch bounced off Miscione, and Blacketer recovered to get the Saxons back into the game.