PREP FOOTBALL : Freeway League : La Habra’s Defense Shuts Down Sunny Hills to Secure a 14-0 Victory

La Habra High School got defensive Friday night, intercepting 3 passes and recovering 2 fumbles in a 14-0 victory over Sunny Hills in front of 1,000 at La Habra.

La Habra figured to generate very little offense with its top quarterback, Albert Razo, sidelined with a dislocated right shoulder for its Freeway League opener. The chances of a fourth consecutive victory over Sunny Hills appeared slim.

But cornerback David Gutierrez and linebacker Jamie Hutcherson led a defensive charge that ended Sunny Hills’ 4-game winning streak. Gutierrez intercepted 2 passes and returned a fumble 44 yards for a touchdown for La Habra (3-3).

Jon Beuerlein, Sunny Hills quarterback, came into the game as the second-highest rated quarterback in Orange County with 591 yards passing and 5 touchdowns. But Beuerlein was sacked 6 times and had problems finding an open receiver all evening.

“How many turnovers did we have?” Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney asked. “You can’t win football games playing the way we did tonight. La Habra got a couple of breaks here and there and that punter killed us.”

Although Razo couldn’t throw, he had received a doctor’s release that allowed him to punt, and he continually kept Sunny Hills (4-2) pinned deep in its own territory. Still, it was Gutierrez, voted La Habra’s boy of the year for his community service last year, who won the game.

“We knew the defense was going to have to pick up the slack with Albert out of the game,” Gutierrez said. “That was by far my best game of the year.”

Gutierrez stunned Sunny Hills early, picking up an errant pitch by Beuerlein and returning the fumble 44 yards for a touchdown with 7:51 remaining in the first quarter.

Beuerlein had intended to pitch the ball to tailback Kenny Overby, but the pitch wound up sailing over Overby’s head. Gutierrez scooped up the ball and raced untouched to the end zone.

Another Sunny Hills turnover set up La Habra’s second score. Hutcherson recovered a fumble at the Sunny Hills 46-yard line late in the second quarter and La Habra took advantage.

Quarterback Mark Moreno drove the Highlanders to the touchdown with 2 fine passes. First, he teamed with Gutierrez on a 16-yard pass play. Then he teamed with halfback Mark Brown on a short screen pass that Brown turned into a 20-yard touchdown play with 1:25 remaining in the half.