ORANGE LEAGUE FOOTBALL : Secoda Takes Charge, Valencia Shuts Out Magnolia

Valencia’s Joe Secoda passed for 257 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Tigers to a 21-0 Orange League victory over Magnolia Thursday night at Glover Stadium.

Secoda, who completed 13 of 20 passes, accounted for almost all of the Tigers’ offense. Jermaine Gray caught seven passes for 165 yards and one touchdown.

The Tigers (2-5-1, 1-1-1) jumped ahead in the first quarter, when Secoda connected on a 31-yard pass to Gray on Valencia’s second possession. The play was set up by a face mask penalty, which helped move the ball from the Tigers’ 47 to Magnolia’s 31-yard line.

The Sentinels (1-7, 0-3) struggled on offense most of the first half, but hung with the Tigers. Magnolia was helped by 87 yards in Valencia penalties in the first half.

Valencia struck again on its opening drive of the third quarter.

Secoda’s 30-yard scoring pass to Rhett Shepard capped an eight-play, 65-yard drive. Secoda’s extra-point kick put the Tigers up, 14-0, with 8 minutes 35 seconds left in the third quarter.

The Tigers put the game out of reach early in the fourth quarter, when running back Aaron Carbajal scored on a two-yard run. The play capped an 11-play, 56-yard drive.

Quarterback Robert Nicols then drove Magnolia down the field, with help from 25 yards in Valencia penalties. The 17-play drive stalled with two minutes left in the game, however, and Valencia’s Jess Najera broke up a pass in the end zone on fourth down to preserve the shutout.

Nicols was six of 22 for 52 yards with one interception. Sean Roy ran for a game-high 48 yards in 16 carries for the Sentinels.