PREP FOOTBALL / Saturday Pullout : Late Scores Give La Habra 16-15 Edge

Sonje Berg threw two second-half touchdowns to lead La Habra to a 16-15 victory over El Modena in a nonleague opener Friday at Fred Kelly Stadium.

Berg’s heroics came in the last 12 minutes of the game. With five seconds left in the third quarter, Berg capped a nine-play drive when he hit Mike Sweet in the corner of the end zone with a three-yard touchdown pass. The drive was set up when Jerry Gonzales intercepted a Scott Goodwin pass at the El Modena 43.

On their next possession, the Highlanders took the lead when Berg hit Will McIntosh for a 55-yard touchdown. Berg’s conversion pass failed.

El Modena dominated the first half, relying on running backs Mike Brown and Jason Said. Brown finished with 88 yards in 24 carries and Said added 41 in 10 carries.

The Vanguards took a 6-0 lead when Goodwin hit Greg Hanson for a four-yard touchdown with 2 minutes 54 seconds left in the first quarter. But Ed Romo’s point-after attempt was wide right.

El Modena took a 12-0 lead when Said went off tackle for three yards with 8:51 left in the second quarter. The Vanguards’ conversion run failed when Goodwin was tackled in the backfield by Ricky Martinez.

Romo made a 47-yard field goal with 2:19 left in the half to make it 15-0.

On La Habra’s next possession, Chris Diaz kicked a 44-yard field goal as time ran out in the half.

Berg had trouble finding receivers in the first half, completing only two passes for 14 yards. But in the second half, he hooked up with McIntosh for several big gains. McIntosh finished with five catches for 128 yards.