Brawl Mars Canyon’s 18-0 Victory

In a game that featured 12 penalties, eight Canyon quarterback sacks, two safeties, a blocked punt and a bench-clearing brawl, Canyon High School stunned Woodbridge, 18-0, Thursday night at Irvine High School.

With 3 minutes 9 seconds left in the first quarter, Canyon’s Travis Wood blocked Nohl Perrizo’s punt, picked up the loose ball at the Woodbridge 10-yard line and ran it in for Canyon’s first score.

Later in the first quarter, Canyon’s defense, which held Woodbridge to minus-14 yards rushing for the game, recovered a fumble on the Woodbridge 46. Three plays later, Jay Wilson ran around right end for what seemed to be a harmless 11-yard gain.

When the play was over, Woodbridge’s Joe Arave and Canyon’s Tom Bottiaux got tangled up and began wrestling with each other out of bounds.

Woodbridge’s bench emptied and rushed over to the Canyon sideline, where officials, coaches and administrators tried to separate the brawling players.

“It was the worst fight I have seen in my 21 years here,” Canyon Principal Jack Fox said.

“My glasses got knocked off,” Canyon Coach Loren Shumer said, “I’ve got 20/200 vision with my good eye, so I didn’t see how it started.”

Canyon scored five plays after the brawl on a two-yard run from Jeff Brunswig. Woodbridge’s punt team gave the Comanches their only other points on two safeties, with two center snaps going through the end zone.