Capistrano Valley Routs Santa Ana

Capistrano Valley High School played long ball Friday night, scoring five touchdowns on plays of 20 yards or longer and breezed to a 44-12 victory over Santa Ana in the quarterfinals of the Division III playoffs before 5,000 fans in Santa Ana Stadium.

Capistrano Valley (12-0) will play host to Paramount (11-1) in the semifinals on Friday night. Paramount, the defending Division III champion, advanced with a 16-14 victory over Hart.

Capistrano Valley scored in every quarter to win its 11th straight game, utilizing an effective ground game and taking advantage of Santa Ana’s single coverage in its defensive secondary.

Quarterback Tony Solliday completed 10 of 12 pass attempts for 226 yards and two touchdowns and running back Paul Shaheen gained 150 yards in 13 carries and scored two more touchdowns to lead the division’s top-seeded team.

“When you consider the way our offense played, our defensive effort and the special team’s play, it was our best game of the year,” said Eric Patton, Capistrano Valley’s coach. “I was surprised we scored that many points. The blocked punt opened the gates.”

Indeed, Capistrano Valley’s blocked punt with 8:50 remaining in the first quarter proved to be the biggest of many big plays. Nose guard Damon Psaros burst through Santa Ana’s line and blocked punter Gus Plasencia’s punt at Santa Ana’s 43-yard line.

Capistrano Valley’s Bernie Chapman picked up the loose ball and raced 43 yards for a touchdown, a play that stunned Santa Ana for the remainder of the half. Afterward, Patton said the play was by design.

“We noticed watching the game films that they took an awful lot of time on getting their punts on, so I thought our best chance to get a block was to go after it the first chance we got,” Patton said.

The turnover set the stage for three more touchdowns before Santa Ana could finally score. Capistrano Valley held a 22-0 lead at halftime and then put the game away when Solliday connected with wide receiver Dan Zamora on a 43-yard scoring play in the third quarter for a 29-0 lead.

Santa Ana (9-3) responded with two touchdowns in the third quarter but it was obvious the Saints were no match against the county’s top team, especially when quarterback Jesse Rosas left with a concussion just before halftime.

Santa Ana managed to cut Capistrano Valley’s lead to 29-12 when reserve quarterback Albert Perez threw his second touchdown pass, but Capistrano Valley responded with two more long touchdown plays before Patton emptied his bench.

Shaheen, who appears to get better with every game, pushed Capistrano Valley ahead, 36-12, when he scored on a 65-yard run on the third play of the fourth quarter, and then Solliday finished the scoring with a perfect 55-yard pass to Dave Poltl for another score.

“We feel that our outside receivers are very difficult to cover one-on-one, and that was the case tonight,” Patton said. “They weren’t wide open and had to work hard for their catches, but they played awfully well against a good team.”

Poltl caught five passes for 112 yards while Zamora caught three passes for 67 yards. Santa Ana wide receiver Octavio Medina also had a big night, catching six passes for 77 yards.

Finally, the game was the finale for Santa Ana’s three-year starting lineman, Oscar Wilson. Wilson showed his versatility Friday night by moving to wide receiver and catching three passes for 83 yards, including a 48-yard touchdown reception in the third quarter.