SEA VIEW LEAGUE FOOTBALL : Saddleback Capitalizes on Mistakes

Saddleback High School made the most of its opportunities, parlaying seven Woodbridge mistakes into a 28-14 victory Thursday night at Irvine High School.

The Roadrunners (3-3, 1-0 in league play) were able to generate enough offense in their Sea View League opener. They ran the ball well and passed effectively--two things that were definitely lacking in the 14-0 loss to Santa Ana Valley last week.

But mostly, the Roadrunners were in the right place at the right time.

Woodbridge (2-4, 0-1) fumbled the ball three times and had three passes intercepted. The Warriors also had one punt blocked and watched their quarterback get sacked four times.

All of which gave the Roadrunners plenty of chances.

“I thought our defense did a good job of creating opportunities,” Saddleback Coach Jerry Witte said. “We certainly had our share of the breaks.”

Witte said he was even more impressed with the offense, which had moved the ball inconsistently through the preseason. The Roadrunners have twice scored 30 in their two previous victories, but had a total of 26 points in their three losses.

The big difference Thursday was quarterback Paul Delgado, who had missed last week’s game with an ankle injury. Delgado completed only seven of 10 passes for 117 yards, but three of his completions went for touchdowns.

Delgado was effective on play-action passes. He used it to freeze the Woodbridge defense on all three of his touchdown passes.

Delgado made only one mistake, which was intercepted by Joe Arave, who returned it 51 yards for a touchdown in the second quarter.

Tight end Joe De La Fuente caught four passes for 75 yards, including a 41-yard touchdown pass in the first quarter that gave the Roadrunners the lead.

“Woodbridge gambles a lot on defense and I thought we could take advantage of that,” Witte said.

The Roadrunners led, 14-7, at halftime, then put the game away in the first five minutes of the third quarter.

After Anthoni Davis recovered a fumble on the Woodbridge nine-yard line, Delgado hit Kimiko Bandy for a touchdown. Marcelino Leal then recovered another Woodbridge fumble, which led to a 23-yard scoring pass from Delgado to Davis.

The Roadrunners also moved the ball effectively on the ground. Mike Castro gained 72 yards in 11 carries, including a one-yard touchdown run, before leaving the game in the second quarter with a hip injury. Herman De Santos replaced Castro and gained 64 yards.

The mistakes and the Roadrunners’ offensive awakening were far too much for Woodbridge to overcome.