Canyon Runs at and Over Orange, 27-13

Rod Hust, Canyon High School coach, offered no surprises to Orange Friday night. He had his team run the ball behind the right side of his offensive line most of the night. For variety, Hust instructed his running backs to try the left side or maybe through the middle.

Simplicity paid off as Canyon dominated Orange, 27-13, in Fred Kelly Stadium at Orange. Canyon quarterback Matt Waddell threw only six passes as the Comanches offensive line overpowered the Orange defense. Orange compiled 318 yards rushing.

“We decided to just line up and run the ball right at them,” Hust said. “We thought we’d be able to control the line and we did.”

Running back Ray Schull rushed for 124 yards in 21 carries, and teammate Dareld Karns had 98 yards in 22 carries. Waddell added 81 yards in 12 carries, mainly on quarterback sneaks and option plays.

Canyon (2-3) set the tone early, scoring just two minutes into the game. Karns’ one-yard run capped a 46-yard drive that consisted of seven running plays. On its next possession, Canyon kept the ball on the ground again, covering 64 yards and resulting in a 13-0 lead before the first quarter had ended.

Orange (2-3) scored just before halftime when Waddell couldn’t handle the snap on a punt and kicked the ball out of the end zone to make it 13-2.

After Corey Pierce’s field goal early in the third quarter made it 13-5, Canyon’s Eddie Washington scored on an 11-yard run to make it 20-5.

The Panthers appeared to gain momentum late in the third period when quarterback Mike Stock hit Robert Glover on a 28-yard touchdown pass play. Kerry Reed caught a pass from fullback Paul Maund for the conversion to make it 20-13.

But Canyon churned out another conservative drive, keeping possession for the first eight minutes of the fourth quarter. Waddell surprised the Orange defense with an 11-yard option pass to John Pacheco for Canyon’s final touchdown.

Although Canyon has taken it licks from highly regarded teams like Capistrano Valley, Loara and Sunny Hills, Hust feels the tough preseason schedule gives him a better indication of his own team’s progress.

“By playing those teams early, we know where stand against the weaker teams,” Hust said. “We thought our offensive line would dominate tonight based on what we’ve done against tougher opponents.”

Maund led the Panthers with 106 yards in 14 carries.