Anaheim Out Before It Starts, 44-0

The fate of Saturday night’s once-fierce football rivalry between Anaheim High and neighboring Fullerton was more than likely settled last spring.

That’s when eight to 10 key players for the Colonists broke school rules and were suspended for the season opener.

The group included one of the county’s top running backs, Reuben Droughns, his brother Robert, a standout linebacker, and at least four other starters.

Taking nothing away from the way Fullerton played in the nonleague affair at Glover Stadium, the loss of so many key players was a definite factor in the 44-0 shellacking Anaheim suffered at the hands of the Indians.

“They had to do what they had to do, and we had to do what we had to do,” a semi-apologetic Fullerton Coach Julian Smilowitz said. “It’s tough to be in that situation with so many good players out. You have to admire them for doing what they did.”

Fullerton, which outgained Anaheim 296 to 36 in total yards, didn’t waste time getting on the scoreboard.

The Indians scored the first two times they had the ball and methodically went about their business after that. They led, 21-0, while holding a commanding 164-5 lead in total yardage at the half and later expanded their lead to 37-0 after three quarters.

Anaheim never was in this one and at times looked as if it didn’t want to be in it at all. The Colonists fumbled five times, muffed two punt attempts, had a third snap centered out of the end zone for a safety and didn’t gain a first down until the 1:02 mark of the third quarter.

And when things are going bad, well, they are really bad.

On the Colonists’ only shot at a score from the Fullerton 15-yard line, quarterback Jimmy Gorman threw a wobbly pass over the middle. It was intercepted by Fullerton’s David Brockman. Brockman grabbed the ball at the three and then ran through and around numerous would-be tacklers for a 97-yard touchdown return.

Fullerton scored on its fourth possession of the game, a one-yard run by running back Mario Ramirez about three minutes into the contest. That came shortly after a muffed Anaheim punt attempt that gave the Indians the ball on the Colonists’ 32-yard line.

A little more than two minutes later, Ramirez gave Fullerton a 14-0 lead by catching a three-yard rollout pass from quarterback Gabriel Almanza.

The painful rout was on.