ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : St. Paul Masters Servite : Quarterback Throws for 2 Touchdowns, Runs for 2 More

St. Paul High School quarterback Greg Willig was simply overpowering in the Swordsmen’s 31-21 Angelus League victory over Servite Saturday in Hanford Rants Stadium at Gahr High School.

Playing in front of 5,000, Willig, a junior, completed 18 of 24 passes for 300 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also ran for 2 touchdowns.

But it was Willig’s passing that brought the previously undefeated Friars (4-1-1, 0-1) down even before halftime.

Willig completed short passes with an exceptional touch, and he completed long passes, such as the 94-yard scoring pass play to receiver Dan Dolan in the second quarter that, for all purposes, sealed the game for the Swordsmen.

It gave the Swordsmen a 19-0 lead with 9:32 left in the halftime.

The Swordsmen (2-4, 1-0) went into halftime leading, 25-6. St. Paul was so dominating in the first half that its penalty yardage of 110 yards, was double Servite’s total offense in the first half. The Friars gained just 49 yards in total offense in the first two quarters.

Some had thought this would be an easy league opener for Servite, considering that St. Paul came into the game with a 1-4 nonleague record.

But the Swordsmen’s nonleague losses came against Fontana (No. 1 in the state), St. John Bosco (Big Five finalist last season), Santa Monica and Loyola.

St. Paul scored on its first possession. Servite running back Derek Brown, limited to 9 yards in 8 carries, fumbled at his 25. It took St. Paul three plays to get to the Servite one. The key play of the drive was a 28-yard run by running back Eugene Valdez. From the one, Willig took his 6-foot 6-inch frame and stretched it over the line. Dolan’s conversion kick made it 7-0 with 9:16 left in the first quarter.

Willig would score on a one-yard sneak later in the quarter. An unsuccessful conversion had St. Paul ahead 13-0.

Then came to the long scoring pass to Dolan.

Servite came back when quarterback Jason Frank sneaked over from a yard out. But the conversion kick was blocked.

Frank completed 24 of 40 passes for 247 yards. But he was held to completing 4 of 9 passes for 27 yards in the first half when St. Paul pretty much put the game away.

Servite made the score relatively close by scoring 15 points in the final nine minutes of the game.