Byrd Scores Four Touchdowns, Rancho Alamitos Rips La Quinta

Senior Jeff Byrd rushed for 271 yards and scored four touchdowns as Rancho Alamitos beat La Quinta, 42-8, in a Garden Grove League football game Friday at Bolsa Grande High School.

Byrd was held to 47 yards and a touchdown in the first half, which ended with Rancho Alamitos ahead, 13-0. But in the second half, Byrd broke free.

He gained 224 yards and scored three times in 15 carries. Byrd scored on runs of four, 65, one and 50 yards.

He has rushed for 1,323 yards and scored 22 touchdowns this season. He leads Orange County with 134 points through eight games.

Leon Vickers added two rushing touchdowns for Rancho Alamitos, the third-ranked team in the Orange County Sports Writers’ Assn. poll. He scored on runs of one and 23 yards.

Rancho Alamitos (7-1, 5-0 in league) dominated on the ground, gaining 400 yards.

Besides Byrd’s 271, Vickers added 77 and quarterback Marshall Brown added 52 yards. Brown completed four of five passes for 65 yards.

La Quinta’s only score came on a a 55-yard pass from quarterback C.J. Livernois to Watson Visuwan with 7:39 left to cut the Rancho Alamitos lead to 27-8. La Quinta is 1-7, 1-4.