Football Roundup : Aquinas’ Rally Edges Orange Lutheran, 21-19

Quarterback Ray Reyes threw a 73-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Angel Nunez with 4:45 remaining to give Aquinas High School a 21-19 nonleague victory over Orange Lutheran Saturday in Orange.

Reyes’ third touchdown pass helped Aquinas erase a 19-14 deficit. The Falcons scored twice in the final eight minutes of play after their offense sputtered most of the afternoon.

Orange Lutheran (1-1) played most of the second half without star running back Gil Greene, who aggravated a bruised right shoulder suffered last week against Pater Noster. Greene gained 104 yards in the first half but had only nine carries for 57 yards in the second half.

Greene returned to play late in the fourth quarter after Aquinas had taken a 14-13 lead on Reyes’ screen pass to halfback Jay Husfloen that Husfloen turned into a 70-yard touchdown play.

Greene returned the ensuing kickoff 36 yards, then ran 32 yards to set up his one-yard touchdown run with 5:39 left to play. But it took Aquinas less than a minute to regain the lead when Reyes found Nunez open at midfield and Nunez beat two defenders to the end zone.

Afterward, Mike Reisbig, Aquinas’ 29-year-old rookie coach, said the winning play was an audible that Reyes called at the line of scrimmage.

“It was supposed to be a hitch-and-pitch pass, but Reyes called a streak and Nunez beat both defenders,” Reisbig said. “I knew we could win. We finally just went out and did it.”

Aquinas (1-1) lost its season opener, 14-13, to Rim of the World last week when it failed on a two-point conversion pass. On Saturday, Orange Lutheran lost when it failed to convert a pair of PAT kicks.

“The fourth quarter was full of big plays,” said Bob Dowding, Orange Lutheran coach. “I thought Greene really ran with intensity when we got behind in the fourth quarter to give us the lead, but then their receiver beat our double coverage.”

Greene finished with 161 yards in 23 carries and scored two touchdowns. He rushed for 258 yards last week against Pater Noster and has 419 yards and five touchdowns in two games.

Reyes was inconsistent but piled up some big numbers, completing 10 of 25 pass attempts for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He also was intercepted three times.

Norte Vista 29, Laguna Beach 22--Jermane Drake’s 65-yard run in the third quarter gave Norte Vista a 23-22 lead at Riverside City College.

Laguna Beach (0-2) had led up to that point behind the passing of Aaron Scheid, who completed 15 of 28 passes for 180 yards and two touchdowns. But the Artists could only manage 33 rushing yards for the game, minus 20 in the second half.

Shawn Mallet scored twice for Laguna Beach on a one-yard run in the first quarter and a 15-yard pass reception in the third quarter.