ORANGE COUNTY SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS / CENTRAL CONFERENCE : Fisher Leads Bolsa Grande Past Tustin

Quarterback Damon Fisher rushed for 132 yards and 2 touchdowns in only 9 carries Friday night as Bolsa Grande High School defeated Tustin, 24-14, in a Southern Section Central Conference playoff game at Garden Grove’s Bolsa Grande Stadium.

Fisher’s first touchdown came on a 48-yard run through the Tustin defense on the first play of the fourth quarter to give Bolsa Grande (11-1) a seemingly comfortable 17-0 lead.

The Tillers (9-3) mounted a comeback ,scoring with 5:26 remaining to make it 17-7.

Tustin’s attempted onside kick was recovered by Bolsa Grande. On the next play, Fisher, a 5-foot 10-inch, 172-pound junior, showed why he was the quickest player on the field.

He ran an option play, and decided to keep the ball. He zig-zagged past several Tustin players in the middle of the field for a 48-yard touchdown run that put the game out of reach at 24-7.

“He just beat us,” Tustin Coach Marijon Ancich said.

Said Bolsa Grande Coach Greg Shadid: “He read the defense and decided on both plays to keep the ball. We don’t tell him what to do on the option.”

Fisher’s touchdowns may have made the difference for Bolsa Grande, but the Matadors’ ability to stifle the Tustin offense was nearly as important.

Tustin’s star running back Lani Machado, still slowed down by an ankle injury, gained only 33 yards in 15 carries. The Tillers managed only one first down in the first half.

“Their defensive front manhandled us,” Ancich said.

Without an effective running game, Tustin was forced to throw the ball more than it would like to, and achieved little success until late in the game.

Tiller quarterback George Menges completed 9 of 21 passes for 169 yards, but was only 3 of 15 before completing his final six passes.