Capistrano Valley Moves to 8-0 by Shutting Down Irvine, 22-0

Quarterback Tony Solliday erased any notion of a letdown Saturday night by passing for 253 yards and two touchdowns to lead Capistrano Valley High School to a 22-0 victory over Irvine in a South Coast League game.

The victory for Capistrano Valley (8-0, 3-0) and came only eight days after the Cougars had upset Mission Viejo, then the county’s top-ranked team, 27-14.

“There’s always a fear of a letdown, but we tried to keep the intensity up,” Solliday said. “We learned our lesson against San Clemente. That game did a good job of waking us up.”

San Clemente, which hasn’t won a league game, held a 6-3 lead at halftime against Capistrano Valley before the Cougars scored 28 points in the second half for a 31-6 victory.

There was no need for a comeback against Irvine. Capistrano Valley opened a 10-0 lead in the first half with Solliday passing for 120 yards. Scott Patton kicked a 38-yard field and then Solliday teamed with Dan Zamora on a 13-yard scoring play with 38 seconds remaining in the half.

Irvine (3-5, 1-2) limited Capistrano Valley to 24 yards rushing in the first half, so the Cougars went to the air. Solliday, who completed passes to six receivers, threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Dave Poltl early in the fourth quarter and finished the night completing 16 of 26 pass attempts.

Irvine’s defense did a creditable job of containing Capistrano Valley for most of the game, but it had problems generating an offense. Irvine wasted its only scoring chance when it failed to score after gaining a first down at Capistrano Valley’s three-yard line.

There was some consolation for Irvine, however. Linebacker Greg Webb and cornerback Matt Spencer intercepted passes, only the second and third interceptions that Solliday has thrown this season.

Halfback Shad Vickers was Irvine’s only offensive threat. Vickers gained 88 yards in 14 carries and caught four passes for 68 yards. Capistrano Valley tailback Paul Shaheen had 79 yards in 16 carries, failing to reach the century mark for only the second time this season.

Afterward, Solliday addressed the possibility of a showdown between two undefeated teams, Capistrano Valley and El Toro, for the league title in two weeks.

“We know it will be a showdown for the league championship,” Solliday said. “I hope both teams are undefeated, which means we’ve got to concentrate on Dana Hills next week before we start thinking about El Toro.”