For Loara, This Victory Over Anaheim Is a Snap

Pity Anaheim High School punter Abe Gomez. From the first snap he took on Friday night, he was on the run.

By the time Gomez had controlled the high snap from center, a pack of Loara defenders was upon him and his kick was not so much blocked as it was smothered.

“I just looked back and I saw everybody (coming after me),” Gomez said. “It was scary.”

Gomez’ terror was representative of Anaheim’s night, as Loara (2-0) overwhelmed the Colonists 36-7 in a nonleague game at Glover Stadium in Anaheim.

And it got worse for Gomez, who spent much of the night chasing errant snaps and attempting to elude Loara rushers.

Besides the blocked punt, which led to the first Loara touchdown, Gomez had two snaps clear his outstretched arms. The first time, in the first half, Gomez managed to get off a short, bounding kick. But the second time, in the fourth quarter, he was tackled in the end zone for a safety, which provided Loara’s last two points.

Except for a touchdown pass on a fake field-goal attempt at the end of the first half, Anaheim (0-2) was moribund on offense. Halfback Sammy Serna completed a 25-yard touchdown pass to fullback Ernie Akau, fooling the Loara defenders.

But little else fooled any Saxon defenders. Anaheim’s running plays were stuffed and Colonist quarterback Robert Jones was harassed into two second-half interceptions, both of which were returned for touchdowns by Greg Ramsey and Brett Banta.

Loara’s offense had taken a 21-0 lead in the first half behind the running of tailback Coy Collins and quarterback Sean Conner. Collins gained most of the Saxon yards in the half, scoring on runs of 1 and 34 yards. Conner kept the ball on the option and scored after a 45-yard run.