Tustin Defense Stops Trammell, Defeats Rancho Alamitos : Division VI: Vaqueros’ leading rusher held to 33 yards as the Tillers rush for 213 yards to win, 26-6, and advance to title game.

Forget about all those yards rushing and all those touchdowns. Forget about the power-I and power football. Just forget about it.

Tustin High School demonstrated Saturday night how to win a football game. Defense, baby, defense.

The Tillers overwhelmed Rancho Alamitos, 26-6, in the semifinals of the Southern Section Division VI playoffs. They controled play from start to finish and will face Sunny Hills in the title game Friday.

Rancho Alamitos came into the game with a potent run and, shoot, run again offense. It was a style that produced Orange County’s leading rusher, Ulysses Trammell.

Trammell had 1,965 yards, the sixth highest single-season total in county history. After the game, he was still No. 6.

The Tillers (13-0) swarmed to Trammell any time he got near the ball. They held him to 33 yards on 18 punishing carries and no touchdowns.

It was the first time this season Trammell, who had 27 touchdowns, failed to score and only the second time he has been held to less than 100 yards.

“We didn’t want to stop Trammell, we had to stop Trammell,” Tustin Coach Marion Ancich said.

The Tillers did so by using eight- and, sometimes, nine- man fronts. Defensive back Shad Vickers was able to turn Trammell back to the pursuit most of the game, where linebackers Aaron Gutridge and Nick Cantu were waiting.

As a result, Trammell’s longest gain was 12 yards.

With the star neutralized, the Vaqueros’ full-house backfield became a house of cards. Rancho Alamitos (10-3) had 113 yards rushing and its only touchdown came with 26 seconds left.

“We knew what we had to do tonight and we came to play football,” Gutridge said.

The Tillers, who rushed for 213 yards, set the tone for the game from the start. The Vaqueros lost 18 yards on their first two plays and were never in sync.

Put in the unfamiliar and uncomfortable position of needing to throw, quarterback Chris Singletary was unable to find his rhythm. He completed four of 14 passes and was sacked three times.

The pressure from the Tustin defensive front created an opportunity for the secondary. With Tustin leading, 3-0, Vickers intercepted a wild Singletary pass and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown.

“The ball deflected off somebody and I grabbed it,” Vickers said. “Then, it was off to the races for me.”

The extent of the Tustin offense in the first half was two Matt Coo field goals, but the Tillers began to wear down the Rancho Alamitos defense in the second half.

Running backs Ron Goods (127 yards) and Visko Ancich (92 yards) took turns running through and over the Vaqueros.

It was Goods who put the Vaqueros in a deep hole midway through the third quarter. He scored on a 16-yard run, breaking three tackles and dragging Matt Roberts the final four yards.

But, on Saturday, the offense was merely a formality. Defense was all the Tillers needed.

RUSHING LEADERS

Top single-season rushing performances in Orange County prep history: 1. Derek Brown, Servite, 1988: 2,301 2. Kerwin Bell, Edison, 1979: 2,226 3. Ray Pallares, Valencia, 1985: 2,085 4. Dana Riddle, Rancho Alamitos, 1989: 2,082 5. Mark Ortega, Whittier Christian, 1984: 2,044 6. U. Trammell (Rancho Alamitos), 1990: 1,998