Foothill Domination of Tustin Continues, but It Isn’t Pretty

The game between Foothill and Tustin high schools, a clash for city pride in Tustin, turned out to be quite a battle Friday night.

Well, the game itself wasn’t much of a contest really. In the second quarter, Foothill assumed control of the nonleague game and won, 10-0, in front of 4,500 at Tustin High.

The battle--for both teams, but especially Tustin--came when attempting to hold onto the football and sustain momentum. Both teams were guilty of sloppy play throughout the game between cross-town rivals.

“Embarrassing,” Tustin Coach Marijon Ancich said.

“Ugly,” Foothill Coach Jerry Howell said.

Two mistakes by Tustin led directly to Foothill’s points.

The first led to a 19-yard field goal by Courtney Keyler, and the second produced a five-yard touchdown run by running back Scott Haiduc.

With Foothill facing a third-and-eight situation on the Tustin 43-yard line, running back Todd Delnoce was trapped for a one-yard loss. However, Tustin was called for a facemask penalty, giving Foothill a first down at the Tiller 28.

A 24-yard pass play from quarterback Tom Hawkins to Scott Barton brought the Knights to the Tustin four, but the drive stalled three plays later at the one. Keyler came in and kicked the field goal on the first play of the second quarter.

Foothill recovered a fumble at the Tustin nine on the first play of the Tillers’ next series. After another facemask penalty moved the ball to the five, Haiduc went straight up the middle for the score and a 10-0 Foothill lead.

So much for the highlights.

Two Tustin quarterbacks, Monte Jones and Dan Baker, combined to throw three intercepted passes. The Tillers also fumbled twice, losing one.

Tustin had only one lengthy drive. But that ended when Baker’s pass into the end zone in the game’s final minute was intercepted by Barton, who returned the ball to the Tustin 45, sealing the victory and sparking a boisterous postgame celebration.

It all added up Foothill’s 16th win over Tustin in the last 17 meetings. It also was the Knights’ second consecutive shutout over the Tillers.

“How many turnovers did we have, 57?” Ancich said. “We contributed greatly to our failure. It was one of the most embarrassing games I’ve ever coached. I can’t put my finger one it. Our guys just couldn’t get anything going.”

Jones completed 7 of 14 passes for 95 yards before cramps and exhaustion forced him to the sidelines in the second half. Baker was 6 of 13 in a relief performance.

Aaron Cobb gained 36 of the 48 yards that Tustin was able to scratch out against a solid Foothill defense.

Foothill’s offense revolved around the running of Haiduc, who gained 25 yards in 9 carries, and Brian Chodowski, who managed 62 yards in 14 carries.