EMPIRE LEAGUE : Esperanza Gets Past Katella, 17-3

There was nothing fancy or exciting about Esperanza’s 17-3 Empire League victory over Katella Thursday at Valencia High.

Esperanza was steady, if unspectacular on both sides of the ball. Running back Dahrin Footman rushed for 73 yards and scored a touchdown in 10 carries, Justin Fewell added 49 yards in 11 carries, and linebacker Jim Stewart led a defensive unit that held the Knights to three second-half first downs.

With the victory, the Aztecs (6-2, 3-0 in league), ranked sixth in Orange County, set up a potential showdown for the league championship next week with Los Alamitos, the top-ranked team in the county. The Griffins (7-0, 2-0) play El Dorado tonight.

“Los Alamitos is a fine team,” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said. “We’ll have to play a perfect game to beat them.”

The only thing perfect about the Esperanza offense Thursday was its ability to avoid turnovers.

The Aztecs rushed for 144 yards in 35 carries and quarterback Craig Rowen completed seven of 16 passes for 111 yards.

“We got a couple of cheap scores on the big plays tonight,” Meek said. “Katella played us tough.”

After Katella failed to get a first down on its first two possessions, Rowen and wide receiver Ryan Wilkins hooked up for the Aztecs’ first big play.

After a Katella punt, on a first and 10 from the Esperanza 41, Bowen found Wilkins wide open on a post pattern and the two connected for a 59-yard touchdown pass. Wilkins finished with five catches for 90 yards.

Jason Florence added a 31-yard field goal in the second quarter, and Esperanza led 10-0 at halftime.

Katella’s defense kept the Knights in the game, holding Esperanza scoreless in the third quarter.

The Knights (3-3-2, 0-2-1) mounted their only drive of the game early in the fourth quarter.

Led by the running of Jaret Wright, Katella moved 53 yards in eight plays and scored on a 36-yard field goal by Brian Christopherson with 9 minutes 53 seconds remaining.

Wright, who had been the team’s starting quarterback, moved to fullback and rushed for a team-high 71 yards in 18 carries. Wright’s 37-yard run moved Katella to the Esperanza 23, helping set up the field goal.

“Jaret is the type of kid who will do anything to help the team win,” Katella Coach Larry Anderson said.

After Katella’s field goal, Esperanza put the game out of reach on its next possession. Footman’s big play capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive, when he scored a touchdown on a 33-yard reverse.