Loara Rolls Past Esperanza

Loara Coach Herb Hill impressed a motto upon his team all week at practice, in preparation for the Saxons’ Empire League opener against Esperanza: “Make something happen.”

Boy, did they ever.

Loara tailback Coy Collins rushed for a school-record 266 yards in 21 carries, and the Saxons forced two fumbles and intercepted Esperanza’s Keith McDonald once on the way to a 30-24 victory in front of 900 at Valencia High School Thursday.

Collins’ effort broke his own school record of 203 yards, set in the season’s first game.

“He can run,” Hill said. “He makes a good coach out of me.”

Quarterback Sean Conner completed four of nine passes for 88 yards and two touchdowns.

After trailing, 14-12, at halftime the Saxons broke the game open in the third quarter when they tight end their defense and scored three touchdowns.

Loara (4-0-1, 1-0) took the lead early. On the first play of the game Collins ran for 55 yards. Two plays later Conner scored on a keeper and Loara led, 6-0.

Brett Banta forced the first of two fumbles by Esperanza’s Lance Brown midway through the first quarter and Kweli Campbell recovered for Loara. That set up the Saxon’s second score, on a 35-yard pass from Conner to Greg Ramsey.

Esperanza mounted 70- and 85-yard drives to take a 14-12 lead at the half, mostly on the strength of Brown, who carried 22 times for 162 yards and a touchdown.

Loara could have gone ahead late in the half after a 48-yard run by Collins moved them to the Esperanza 18, but on a fourth-and-one play at the nine a Conner pass fell incomplete.

In the second half Esperanza marched from its 38 to the Saxon 13 before Loara’s defense finally got on track. The Aztec’s settled for a 30-yard field goal by Mike Brown to lead 17-12.

“They blocked the hell out of us in the first half,” said Hill of Esperanza’s offensive line. “We made some adjustments and played much better against their running game in the second half.”

Three carries for 75 yards by Collins helped the Saxons get in scoring position and David Kang’s one-yard run early in the third put Loara ahead for good, 18-17.

Jarod Smith then fumbled and Ramsey recovered for Loara at the Aztec 36. Conner eventually scored on a four-yard keeper.