Loara Takes Its Time in 24-12 Victory

Loara High School, known for its defense and ball-control offense, used both effectively Friday night to beat Lakewood, 24-12, in Anaheim’s Glover Stadium.

Loara (3-1) fell behind early. Lakewood (0-3) took the opening kickoff and drove 83 yards in 12 plays to take a 6-0 lead on Fred Maxwell’s 39-yard run. The extra point kick was missed.

The Saxons came back with a 14-play, 78-yard scoring drive. Steve Nichols ran it in from a yard out and Don Bradshaw’s extra-point kick made it 7-6.

Loara’s defense stopped Lakewood on its next possession, and Danny Rodriguez returned the punt 37 yards for a touchdown to give the Saxons a 14-6 lead. Bradshaw added a 14-yard field goal to make it 17-6 at halftime.

The Loara defense held the Lancers to 79 yards rushing in the game, with 70 coming on the opening drive. Lakewood scored on a 15-yard pass from Matt Nuez to Anthony Jones in the third quarter to cut the deficit to 17-12. The two-point conversion failed. Nuez was 7 of 19 for 125 yards.

Sophomore tailback Coy Collins, who gained 126 yards in 28 carries, scored for Loara on an 11-yard run in the fourth quarter. The touchdown capped an 11-play, 77-yard drive.