Roundup : Dana Hills Wins Despite Slow Night Offensively

Dana Hills High School Coach Don Douglass had his defense--and a controversial call--to thank after a 9-7 victory over Santa Ana Valley Friday at Dana Hills.

Douglass praised his defense after the game, which put Dana Hills record at 4-0, the best start of the coach’s eight years at the school.

“Offensively, we didn’t do a thing; we were fortunate to win,” Douglass said. “But defensively, we played great.”

Dana Hills managed just one scoring drive all night, going 79 yards in 12 plays on a march that wound up with a nine-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Grant Taylor to senior tight end Andy Marrone with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

That, along with Ryan Harrison’s 28-yard field goal in the second, accounted for all of Dana Hills scoring.

The touchdown drive began on a controversial play. Santa Ana Valley punter Jesse Brooks had punted from his own 28 to the Dolphin 1-foot line, but Santa Ana Valley was called for a personal foul for batting the ball out of bounds, and the ball was re-kicked.

This time Dana Hills took over on its 21-yard line, where it started its winning drive.

“Calls are calls; every once in a while you get a key call that can change a game,” Santa Ana Valley Coach Dan Castanon said. “This one made a big difference.”

Santa Ana Valley (1-2-1) scored first when defensive back Rome Manson intercepted Grant Taylor’s second pass of the night and returned it 60 yards for a touchdown with 4:04 left in the first quarter.

Dana Hills was led by Matt Carvalho, who had 101 yards on 26 carries.