El Modena Has Little Trouble With La Habra

Ernie Wilson rushed for 89 yards and two touchdowns in 19 carries and El Modena shut out La Habra, 30-0, Friday night at El Modena High.

The Vanguards also got running help from James Clarkson, who rushed five times for 60 yards, as El Modena dominated the line of scrimmage.

The game was marred by penalties as the two teams combined for 22 infractions. The Vanguards were able to overcome 14 penalties totaling 140 yards.

El Modena took at 2-0 lead when Highlander punter Mike Garcia was tackled in the end zone with 11:43 left in the first half. Garcia tried to run the ball out after a high snap but was tackled by Chris Niez and Darren Daniels.

Wilson went over from one yard with 1:15 remaining in the half to give the Vanguards a 9-0 lead. And El Modena quarterback Matt Mitchell hooked up with Casey Shine on an eight-yard completion with 7:45 left in the third to make it 16-0.

El Modena closed out the scoring on fourth-quarter touchdown runs by Wilson and Holmes.

La Habra managed just 112 yards of total offense, including 27 on the ground. The Vanguard defense forced four turnovers as Highlander quarterback Josh Woolf threw three first-half interceptions.