Vaqueros Stop Troy in Its Tracks, 42-0

Project “Balanced Ground Attack” got off to a resounding start Friday night for the Rancho Alamitos football team.

The Vaqueros got 100 or more rushing yards from each of their big three offensive weapons--quarterback Marshall Brown, fullback Leon Vickers and tailback Jeff Byrd--to defeat Troy, 42-0, in a nonleague game at Fullerton High.

Vickers, who is being recruited by several Division I colleges as a linebacker, rushed for a game-high 137 yards and scored two touchdowns, one on a 52-yard run and the other on a 35-yard pass play.

Byrd rushed for 100 yards and three touchdowns and Brown ran for 106 yards and passed for 102 yards and one touchdown. The Vaqueros outgained Troy in total offense, 492 yards to 103.

“The two things we needed to do to improve our team was to throw more and balance the carries,” Rancho Alamitos Coach Mark Miller said.

They did, at least Friday.

Rancho Alamitos, the overwhelming favorite to win the Garden Grove League this season, scored on its first possession and coasted from there.

Byrd, who tied Mike Jacot of Southern California Christian for the county rushing title last year with 1,492 yards, scored the first time he touched the ball on a 31-yard run with 7 minutes 59 seconds left in the first quarter.

He scored again late in the quarter on a three-yard run and Brown and Vickers gave the Vaqueros a 20-0 edge at halftime when they hooked up on the 35-yard pass play early in the second quarter.

Vickers then scored on a 52-yard run with 10:24 to play in the third quarter and Tony Luce made a 40-yard field-goal later in the quarter.

The Vaqueros capped their scoring in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Byrd and a 15-yard run by backup fullback Randy Maldonado, who finished with 47 rushing yards in three carries.

Troy never penetrated deeper than the Rancho Alamitos 43-yard line, and picked up only three first downs until late in the fourth quarter, when the Warriors went to a pass-oriented offense.

Vickers also led all receivers with two receptions for 55 yards.