Esperanza’s Defense, Emry Pound Santa Ana Valley

Esperanza, the No. 2 team in Orange County, stopped Santa Ana Valley cold in a 42-0 runaway Friday night at Bradford Stadium.

Esperanza held Santa Ana Valley quarterback Armando Cueva to 21 yards in 11 attempts. Cueva, a senior, who was limited to 58 yards in last week’s 28-0 loss to Corona, had a dismal first half, completing one pass for eight yards as the Aztecs defense swarmed through Santa Ana Valley’s line.

Senior Gerrick Emry, an all-Empire league, 800-yard rusher, ran for three touchdowns for Esperanza as the Aztecs jumped to a 21-0 lead on only 10 plays in the first quarter.

Emry scored his first touchdown on a 38-yard run on Esperanza’s first possession with 10 minutes and 22 seconds left. Nearly five minutes later, Ryan Corbett caught a 46-yard pass from quarterback Josh Buscaglio for Esperanza’s second score. Senior Clayton King, who had five conversions, added the extra point for a 14-0 Esperanza lead.

With 2:09 left in first quarter, Emry romped in from the 18-yard line to give the Aztecs a 21-0 lead. Emry’s other touchdown came with 10:10 left in the second.

Esperanza Coach Gary Meek, seeking to balance his ground attack, is having his Aztecs throw the ball more. “We have to be able to catch passes in those real critical games,” Meek said. “We tried.”