PREP EXTRA: SATURDAY FOOTBALL PULLOUT : Foothill Moves Closer to Century League Championship

Foothill put itself in good position to repeat as Century League champion, but it had to shake off a dreadful first half to defeat Santa Ana Valley, 27-7.

Two touchdown runs by Tramel Robinson and one each by Nick Sveslosky and Lawrence Mariner rallied Foothill from a seven-point halftime deficit to a victory that spoiled the Falcons’ homecoming Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium.

“We got a wake-up call,” Foothill Coach Tom Meiss said. “I feel like we dodged a bullet. The final score won’t indicate how close it was. I was very impressed with Valley.”

Santa Ana Valley’s defense ruled Foothill for a half. It limited the Knights to a meager 38 yards rushing, 52 yards in offense and three first downs.

A six-yard scoring run by Dwayne Cherrington, who finished with 105 yards rushing in 26 carries, at 8:40 of the second quarter gave the Falcons a 7-0 lead.

But Foothill (4-4, 3-0), which can clinch a share of the league title with a victory over Orange Friday, came alive in the second half. The Knights, who won their third in a row, scored on four of their five possessions to pull away as Santa Ana Valley’s offense went nowhere.

On Foothill’s second play, Nick Sveslosky broke free for a 52-yard touchdown run with only 1:20 gone in the third quarter to tie the score. Fullback Lawrence Mariner, a recent transfer from El Modena, gave Foothill a 13-7 lead on a three-yard scoring run with 29 seconds remaining in the third.

Robinson scored twice in the final quarter.

Foothill’s defense, led by defensive end Rich Bowman, held the Falcons to 42 yards in the second half. Foothill finished with 236 yards overall, 181 on the ground. Santa Ana Valley (3-5, 1-2) had 184 overall.