Byrd Takes Off in 38-24 Victory : Prep football: Tailback, who runs for 283 yards and four touchdowns against Pacifica, was 61 yards shy of Rancho Alamitos record.

Junior tailback Jeff Byrd, who Rancho Alamitos Coach Mark Miller believes will rewrite the school’s rushing records, got closer to that goal in the Vaqueros’ 38-24 victory over Pacifica Friday at Bolsa Grande High School.

Byrd gained 283 yards in 45 carries and scored on runs of three, 12, 14 and three yards for the Vaqueros in the Garden Grove League opener for both teams.

His rushing total was 61 yards shy of Rancho Alamitos’ single-game record of 344 yards by Dana Riddle in 1989 and his 45 carries were seven short of Riddle’s mark the same year.

Rancho Alamitos (3-0-1, 1-0 in league) turned the game into a rout early, leading 24-7 at halftime.

Byrd, 5 feet 9, 150 pounds, opened the scoring on a three-yard run with 5 minutes 44 seconds left in the first quarter, capping a 14-play drive by the Vaqueros on their first possession.

A 31-yard field goal by Carl Foss and two more touchdowns by Byrd in the first half seemed to put the game well in hand for Rancho Alamitos. But Pacifica (2-2, 0-1), which got its first touchdown on a 52-yard return by Eric Stevens after he recovered a fumble by Vaquero quarterback Marshall Brown, put some pressure on Rancho Alamitos in the third quarter and narrowed the Vaquero lead to 31-21.

The Mariners’ scores in the quarter came on touchdown passes by quarterback Dan Murray to wide receiver Brian Danskin. Murray had not completed any of his nine attempts in the first half, when the Mariners were held to only one yard total offense, but turned it around in the second half, completing eight consecutive passes early in the quarter. He finished with 126 yards passing.

Rancho Alamitos fullback Leon Vickers, who had 127 yards in 19 carries, scored on a three-yard run with 5:17 remaining to give the Vaqueros a 31-14 lead. Pacifica then scored on a 33-yard field goal by David Anderson and Byrd finished the scoring with his second three-yard run.

Pacifica tailback Dereck Nicholson left the game with a leg injury after being pummeled on the first play from scrimmage. He did not return.

The Vaqueros had 130 yards in penalties, but Byrd’s running was more than enough to overcome them.