Kickoff Return Sparks Irvine’s Victory Over Woodbridge

Tony Mathis returned a kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to give Irvine the lead for good, and the Vaqueros went on to a 34-13 victory over Woodbridge in a Sea View League game Friday at Irvine High.

Woodbridge (1-4, 0-2) had taken a 13-7 lead on a 35-yard field goal by Mike Guymon with three minutes left in the second half.

But on the following kickoff, Mathis took the ball up the middle, cut to the right side at about his own 40 and continued into the end zone. Dave Bilek’s extra point gave Irvine (4-1, 2-0) a 14-13 lead with 2:46 left in the half.

Scott Seal helped Irvine control the game on the ground, rushing for 152 yards in 20 carries. He has rushed for 745 yards in five games this season. Seal scored on a 26-yard run in the first half and a one-yard run in the fourth quarter to bring his season total to eight touchdowns.

Irvine quarterback Aron Garcia and wide receiver Todd Thomas hooked up twice for second-half touchdowns, both from 37 yards, to help Irvine pull away. The first score came with 7:02 left in the third quarter and gave Irvine a 21-13 lead. The second came with 10:18 left in the game.

Woodbridge’s only touchdown came on an 11-yard pass from quarterback Shea Stone to Gary Osborne late in the first quarter to give the Warriors a 10-0 lead. Woodbridge was called for eight personal fouls and penalized a total of 13 times for 134 yards.