Prep Football : Defense Does It All as Loara Blanks Anaheim

The offenses were no-shows in Loara High School’s 12-0 nonleague victory over Anaheim Friday night in Glover Stadium.

Ah, but for those lovers of defense among the 1,200 witnesses, the game was a thrill a minute.

Defense won the game for Loara. The Saxons (2-0) forced two fumbles that kept Anaheim (0-2) from scoring and intercepted four passes thrown by Colonist quarterback Dan Pacillas. Heck, Loara even kept Anaheim from scoring when the Colonists had a first down at the 1 and had 12 players on the field.

Most important, were the two intercepted passes that Loara returned for touchdowns.

True to form on this night, both conversion attempts--one kick and one pass--failed.

The biggest defensive play came with 5:50 left in the game. Pacillas had Anaheim driving, but on a first-and-10 at the Loara 45, he threw the first of the four interceptions.

This one landed right in the mitts of Rick Griego, a Loara defensive end, who returned it 53 yards for a touchdown. The kick was blocked and Loara led, 6-0.

As it turned out, the points were enough to win.

“I just thought touchdown . . . score . . . six points,” Griego said of his run.

A little more than three minutes later, Steve Nichols intercepted another pass by Pacillas and returned it 24 yards for a score. This time, quarterback Chris Hoffman’s two-point conversion pass was intercepted and Loara led, 12-0, with 2:26 left.

Anaheim managed to move the ball into scoring postion three times--which was three more times than Loara’s offense--but came up empty each time.

At the end of the first half, Anaheim drove to the Loara 19-yard line, but a 36-yard field goal try by Art Palamares sailed wide left.

The Colonists then drove to the Loara 1-yard line early in the third quarter. The big plays came on 18- and 24-yard runs by running back Johnny Mountain, who gained 105 yards in 23 carries.

But Anaheim couldn’t score when the Saxons stopped Mountain on a dive over the top. The Colonists had 12 players on the field and the Loara coaching staff complained to the officials, but no penalty was called.

On second down at the one, Mountain fumbled and the Saxons recovered at the five.

Later, Pacillas, who threw for 198 yards and completed 15 of 28 passes, drove Anaheim to the Loara 5 to start the fourth quarter. On a second-and-goal, Pacillas rolled left and appeared to be headed for a touchdown. But Randy Halcomb got to Pacillas just before the goal line and hit him, jarring the ball loose. It bounced into the end zone and out of bounds for a touchback for Loara.

Despite the lifts the defense gave Loara, the Saxons’ offense could do little.

Coy Collins, Loara’s speedy junior running back, gained 127 yards in 18 carries, but that was about the extent of the offense.

Loara had no sustained drives and no scoring opportunities. Each time the Saxons had a little momentum going, an incomplete pass, a big defensive play by Anaheim or a penalty killed the drive.

“We were very fortunate,” said Herb Hill, Loara coach. “Everybody in the world thought they’d score (on the two goal-line stands). But our kids didn’t believe it. They never gave up even when the ball was on the one.”