Who’s No. 1? Esperanza Stakes Claim With Victory
Despite being slowed by first-half gaffes, Esperanza left no doubt which was the No. 1 football team on the field Friday night.
Less certain, however, after the Aztecs’ 28-7 victory over Sunny Hills at Valencia High School, is what team should be considered the best team in Orange County.
No. 3 Mater Dei (6-0) can make a strong argument after routing No. 1 Mission Viejo, 42-7, Thursday. No. 2 Esperanza (5-0), which struggled a bit before winning its 19th consecutive game, could also make the claim, although Coach Gary Meek declined to comment on the subject after the victory.
Although Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney hasn’t seen Mater Dei play, he knows Esperanza well enough, having also lost to the Aztecs last year, 17-13.
“I look at Gary’s team last year and I look at his football team this year,” Devaney said. “It is a better team now and last year they went on to win the CIF championship in their division . . . As far as I’m concerned, yeah, they’re the No. 1 team in the county.”
Mater Dei, in Division I, and the Division III Aztecs won’t play this season, so there might never be a conclusive answer.
For awhile, it looked as if the question about No. 1 might not even be an issue for Esperanza, which trailed, 7-6, at halftime.
On its first drive, Esperanza scored quickly on a six-play, 74-yard drive that ended with a 15-yard run by Garrick Emry. Sunny Hills (2-3), which won the Division VI championship last year, countered with it own long drive finished by Robert Griffin’s five-yard touchdown run.
Esperanza continued to move the ball, but turned the ball over twice deep in Sunny Hills’ territory and was called for four penalties for 41 yards in the half. Marcus Tayui, who rushed for 154 yards in 15 carries, lost a fumble at the Sunny Hills’ 11 late in the second quarter and quarterback Josh Buscaglio fumbled while being sacked at the Lancers’ 36 just before halftime.
Esperanza recovered in the second half, however, stuffing the Lancers’ offense. Sunny Hills managed only 39 yards of total offense and two first downs in the second half.
The Aztecs’ offense eliminated the mistakes that plagued it in the first half as Tayui rolled up big gains on the outside and Emry, who gained 87 yards in 17 carries, ground it up on the inside.
Emry scored on a one-yard run midway through the third quarter, and Greg Cruikshank, playing for a few downs after Emry was shaken up, scored on a 15-yard run for a 21-7 lead which proved insurmountable.