GARDEN GROVE LEAGUE : Argonauts Screened Out by La Quinta

Using the screen pass as if they had invented it, La Quinta High School’s Aztecs rolled over Garden Grove, 27-14, Thursday night in the Garden Grove League opener for both teams at Bolsa Grande High School.

“It’s no secret,” said La Quinta Coach Roger Takahashi. “We like the screens and we use them.”

In a game that wasn’t as close as the score indicated, the Aztecs (4-0, 1-0 in league) didn’t waste any time going to their favorite play.

With the 1,000 or so in attendance barely in their seats, La Quinta quarterback Donald Hopkins hit Walter Dawkins with a screen pass on second and eight from the Aztec 39-yard line, and the senior tailback ran 61 yards along the right sideline for the score with 8 minutes 33 seconds remaining in the first period. It was Hopkins’ second pass of the game.

The Aztecs padded their lead to 10-0 four minutes later on a 46-yard field goal by Mike Berg.

By the end of the quarter, though, Garden Grove (1-3, 0-1) began to show signs of recovery when it marched 70 yards on 10 plays to cut the La Quinta lead to 10-7 on a Bob Ioja one-yard run with 11:59 left in the second period.

The Argonauts’ hopes were short-lived, however.

Hopkins, who completed 18 of 25 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns, hooked up with wide receiver Dusty DePree on a 20-yard pass play with 5:51 to play in the quarter, and Berg added a 34-yard field goal with time running out in the half to increase the Aztec lead to 20-7.

The teams traded touchdowns in the second half, the Aztecs scoring on a five-yard run by George Sanchez in the third period and the Argonauts scoring late in the fourth quarter on a 25-yard pass play from backup quarterback Simon Fuentes to wide receiver Brian Swogger.

Dawkins, with 100 yards in five receptions, and DePree, with 77 yards in five catches, were the primary beneficiaries of Hopkins’ passes.

The Aztec defense neutralized Garden Grove’s highly touted junior tight end, Adrian Ioja, who caught only one pass from his brother, Bob, for an 11-yard gain. Bob Ioja finished the game with seven completions in 16 attempts for 106 yards.