DIVISION VI : Savanna Scores Startling 20-0 Upset of Valencia

Jubilation and disbelief filled Glover Stadium Saturday after Savanna shocked top-seeded Valencia, 20-0, in a Southern Section Division VI football semifinal.

Savanna Coach Fred Di Palma said he wanted to keep things simple, and the result was a strange upset that featured the defense, which forced five turnovers, to compensate for an offense which produced only 161 yards.

The victory sent the unseeded Rebels (11-2) into their first sectional final ever. They will play Whittier, a 24-12 winner over Western, next Saturday. Two-time defending Division VI champion Valencia (11-2) had its season come to an unexpected and abrupt end.

“I don’t know what happened; we didn’t come to play,” Valencia Coach Mike Marrujo said. “But I don’t want to take anything away from Fred and his kids. They outplayed us and they were the better team tonight.”

Valencia was the better team Oct. 29, when the Tigers pasted Savanna, 48-14, in an Orange League game.

“We were looking for revenge,” Savanna defensive back Mike Flores said. “Tonight, we wanted to play our game.”

Savanna’s defense played its game, holding all-county running back Chris Draft to 42 yards rushing. Steve Munoz led the Tigers with 90 yards in 10 carries.

The Rebels also intercepted four of Rob Petko’s passes.

“If you would have told me this final score before the game, I’d have said you don’t know much about football,” Di Palma said. “But coaches don’t win games; talk to the players about this.”

Flores was one of those players who made the big plays. He returned the second-half kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown, which gave Savanna a 7-0 lead, and also returned a fourth-quarter interception 45 yards for a second score.

Savanna scored its other touchdown after Alex Carbajal’s interception with eight minutes remaining in the third quarter.

Quarterback Paul Waldrop, who completed nine of 18 passes for 83 yards with no interceptions, moved the Rebels 45 yards in 10 plays, climaxing the drive with a six-yard touchdown pass to Barry Michael with 2:49 remaining. Flores missed the extra point wide right, but the Rebels still led, 13-0.

All night, it appeared the Rebels could do no wrong while the Tigers could not come up with any big plays.

Savanna fumbled four times, but recovered each time. Valencia’s defensive backs had four opportunities for interceptions, but couldn’t hang onto the ball.

Perhaps the play that typified the game came with 7:30 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Trailing 13-0, Petko began moving Valencia. Starting on their own 13, the Tigers went 81 yards in eight plays to the Savanna eight.

Draft, a 6-foot-1, 210-pound running back, caught a screen pass with Savanna defensive back Rani Kohouch coming up to meet him at the six. But Kohouch, instead of going for the tackle, stole the ball from Draft and returned it to the Savanna 43 with 7:30 remaining.

“It was a great play,” Di Palma said.

And Savanna made all of them Saturday.