Savanna Comes Back Twice to Tie No. 8 Valencia, 14-14

Savanna High School scored more points than any other Valencia opponent this season Thursday night, but it wasn’t enough for a victory as the teams played to a 14-14 tie in an Orange League game at Valencia.

For a number of reasons, it had to be one of the more satisfying ties for Savanna (3-3-1, 1-0-1). Valencia (6-0-1, 1-0-1), the six-time defending league champion, came into the game ranked eighth in Orange County. Savanna didn’t win a league game last season. First-year Savanna Coach Fred Di Palma, who was a Valencia assistant for the past two years, said the key was to make his players believe they had a chance.

“If they didn’t think they were going to win, we would have been crushed,” Di Palma said.

With few exceptions, Valencia’s defense again was unyielding. But those exceptions--both 47-yard touchdown plays--proved costly, and both tied the score for Savanna. The first, in the first quarter, was a 47-yard pass from Carlos Robledo to Vince Flores. In the fourth quarter on fourth and six inches at the Valencia 47, Rebel running back Kenison PoChing appeared stopped short of the first down, but he bounced to the outside and eluded two desperate tackle attempts downfield.

Valencia scored on its first possession of the game, on a 13-play drive that ended with a two-yard touchdown run by Sergio Ortiz.

Valencia’s other touchdown, a 10-yard pass from Richard Wells to Scott Weinman, followed Scott Wilson’s 45-yard punt return.