Minici Paces Irvine Past University, 16-14

Junior quarterback Jason Minici ran for one touchdown and threw for a school-record 18 completions to lead Irvine High School to a 16-14 victory over crosstown-rival University Friday night at Irvine Stadium.

Minici, a transfer student from Chicago, completed 18 of 30 passes for 170 yards and had one pass intercepted. He broke the record of 17 completions set by Jeff Jones (1987) and Jeff Bielman (1984).

Scott Seal gave Irvine a 16-14 lead with 6:44 remaining in the game when he scored from one yard out.

University worked the ball to the Vaquero 36-yard line with two minutes to play, but quarterback Brian Vail was sacked for a 10-yard loss to end the threat.

Irvine, which has an 8-5 lead in the series and has won the last three games, had closed the gap to 14-10 on a 35-yard field goal by Juan Cruz with 2:02 remaining in the third quarter.

Marc Walker’s 75-yard touchdown run with 7:38 remaining in the third quarter gave the Trojans a 14-7 lead.

University countered Irvine’s early score with 2:52 left in the first half with Walker’s one-yard touchdown run. When the center’s snap went wide, Matt Selman picked the ball up and ran for a two-point conversion to give the Trojans an 8-7 lead.

Irvine took a 7-0 lead on Minici’s three-yard touchdown run with 11:24 left in the first quarter.

Walker rushed for 126 yards in 13 carries. Seal gained 41 yards in 16 carries, and teammate Mark Huffman caught six passes for 83 yards.