Defense, Schweer’s Passing Lift Woodbridge Over Foothill

Fred Schweer passed for 164 yards and 2 touchdowns to lead Woodbridge High School to a 23-0 victory over Foothill Friday night at Tustin High School.

Woodbridge’s defense contributed greatly in the victory, holding Foothill to only 14 total yards in the first half and 32 yards for the game.

“We didn’t play very good pass defense tonight, and we didn’t play that well on offense either,” Foothill Coach Jerry Howell said. “We just didn’t play very good football.”

Schweer--who finished the game completing 14 of 29 passes--got off to a slow start, completing only 2 of his first 13 attempts.

But with 5:35 remaining in the second quarter, Schweer completed three in a row, including a 12-yard touchdown pass to Alex Zaldivar.

Woodbridge scored on its next possession as Schweer orchestrated an 84-yard touchdown drive late in the second quarter. After completing four consecutive passes, which took Woodbridge to the Foothill one-yard line, Schweer scored on a one-yard run over the middle and Woodbridge led, 16-0.

With 8:44 remaining in the game, Woodbridge defensive end P.A. Emerson recovered a Foothill fumble, giving the Warriors the ball on Foothill’s three-yard line. Schweer hit Zaldivar on a two-yard touchdown pass to put Woodbridge ahead, 23-0.

Foothill, contained all night by a strong Woodbridge defense, couldn’t manage a drive.

Foothill quarterback Tom Hawkins, sacked twice in the game by defensive end Gary Gibson and once by Joe Miller, threw seven incomplete passes before completing his first of the game, a nine-yarder to Mike Wallace in the fourth quarter.

Foothill’s ground game didn’t look much better. Senior running back Brian Chodowski was the Knights’ leading ballcarrier with 21 yards in 8 carries.

“Anytime you beat a team the caliber of Foothill, you’re pleased,” Rick Gibson, Woodbridge coach, said. “We got quite a few breaks, though. Things just went our way.”

The game had a wacky beginning when Woodbridge took a 2-0 lead in the second quarter on a safety.

Foothill punter Courtney Keyler watched a bad snap sail over his head and tumble toward the end zone. Keyler, seeing several Warriors rushing in for the possible recovery, sprinted toward the ball and kicked it out of the end zone for a Woodbridge safety.

Zaldivar finished with 6 catches for 64 yards. Randy Ramos rushed 11 times for 65 yards to lead the Warrior running game.