La Quinta Stays Unbeaten With Late Field Goal

Lance Giuliano kept La Quinta High School’s football record perfect Friday night, kicking a 22-yard field goal barely inside the right upright with 38 seconds remaining to give the Aztecs a 16-13 Garden Grove League victory over Santiago at Garden Grove High School.

The Aztecs (9-0, 6-0) staggered through a nightmarish first half in which Santiago (2-7, 2-4) intercepted six of Don Hopkins’ passes and recover a blocked punt in the end zone to take a 13-0 lead.

Scott McGarrh and Tom Terrones each had two interceptions.

Noa Utu blocked Justin Sogoian’s first-quarter punt, and Alex Ripley recovered in the end zone as Santiago took a 7-0 lead.

Todd Devaney’s pass interception on the La Quinta 16 set up Ripley’s one-yard touchdown plunge early in the second quarter to make it 13-0 and shock the favored Aztecs.

Hopkins started hitting his own receivers in the third quarter and drove La Quinta 67 yards to a touchdown on his seven-yard keeper. Tony Lamaestra’s recovery of Ripley’s fourth-quarter fumble on the Cavalier 48 set up the second Aztec score, a 21-yard run by George Sanchez.

La Quinta took possession with 2:59 left and drove 61 yards to the five to set up the winning field goal. The key play was a 37-yard pass from Hopkins to Sogoian on the nine.