SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : University Upsets No. 2 Garden Grove : Division VI: Morreale’s punts and third-quarter touchdown are difference for unseeded Trojans.

A school of relatively modest football tradition, University High had never advanced past the first round of the Southern Section playoffs in three previous attempts.

That changed Friday as the unseeded Trojans upset second-seeded and previously unbeaten Garden Grove, 7-0, in a first-round Division VI playoff game in front of 2,500 at Garden Grove High.

The victory moves University (6-5) into a second-round game next week against Savanna (7-3-1), which Friday beat defending champion Sunny Hills, 14-0.

“We did exactly what we needed to do,” an exuberant University Coach Mark Cunningham said. “We contained a great football team.”

The Trojans did that, limiting Garden Grove (10-1) to 170 yards total offense. University was particularly effective in holding Argonaut tailback Jim Sebreros to 51 yards on the ground and fullback Derek Smith to 38 yards rushing. Sebreros entered the game with 923 yards rushing on the season.

However, University did not muster much offense against the quick Garden Grove defense, gaining 65 total yards in the first half and 104 for the game. Fortunately for the Trojans, 41 of those came in a third-quarter scoring drive that gave them the victory.

After a 52-yard, wind-aided punt by University’s Mathan Morreale backed the Argonauts to their five-yard line, the Trojans kept Garden Grove from advancing past its own 17-yard line and got excellent field position on the ensuing punt.

University started the winning drive with a five-yard gain by running back Jerry Apana, who rushed for 69 yards Friday, and capped it with a one-yard plunge by quarterback Chris Peake with 3 minutes 2 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

The Argonauts got the ball for the last time with nine seconds left to play, but quarterback Brian Schneider threw a pass that fell incomplete and then had a pass intercepted six seconds later by Trojan defensive back Ty Pursley as time expired.

Morreale’s booming punts gave Garden Grove poor field position all game.

“He (Morreale) and the defense kept us in this game,” Cunningham said.

For Garden Grove, which finished the season ranked fourth in the county and was making its first playoff appearance since 1984, the loss marked the end to its best season ever and left Coach Jeff Buenafe dejected.

“I don’t have a whole lot to say,” Buenafe said. “University played a great game . . . We are disappointed, but we are really happy with the job our kids did.”