Savanna Defense Forces Turnovers to Defeat Cypress

Savanna High School used an aggressive defense to create big plays and scoring opportunities as the Rebels defeated Cypress, 19-13, in a nonleague football game Thursday night at Glover Stadium.

Savanna (2-1) scored first when Leon Landry returned an interception 27 yards for a touchdown with 1 minute 10 seconds remaining in the first quarter. It was Landry’s second interception return for a touchdown and the Rebels’ third this season.

Cypress (1-2) came right back as Bryan Dawson returned the ensuing kickoff 86 yards for a touchdown to make the score 7-6. Cypress’ extra point failed.

The Rebels extended the lead to 13-6 with seven seconds left in the half on a five-yard pass from Brad Belanger to Vince Flores.

The Savanna defense limited Cypress to just 58 total yards in the first half and forced four turnovers. Senior Brook Bell’s second fumble recovery of the night came in the third quarter and set up Jeff Ragos’ 13-yard touchdown run with 4:40 remaining in the third quarter. Ragos finished with 145 yards in 25 carries.

Cypress went to the air in the second half, passing on all but three plays. Quarterback Gabe Garcia engineered a 70-yard, six-play scoring drive in the fourth quarter.