THE PREPS : FOOTBALL / GOLDEN WEST LEAGUE : Tustin Ties Saddleback After Missing Chances

It ended in a tie, but it felt more like a loss for Tustin.

After missing several scoring opportunities, including a game-winning field goal on the final play, Tustin played to a 14-14 tie with Saddleback in a Golden West League opener Saturday night at Santa Ana Stadium.

A 50-yard field-goal attempt by Tustin’s David Wilford was blocked as time expired. It was the final leg of a frustrating outing for the Tillers.

“We made too many mistakes,” Tustin Coach Myron Miller said. “We dropped a TD pass, had one called back and then we get a field goal blocked. We’re just not very disciplined.”

Unlike Miller, Saddleback Coach Jerry Witte seemed pleased with his team’s play.

“Our defense played great,” he said. “We had two goal-line stands and I can’t tell you how good that made me feel.”

Tustin (1-4-1, 0-0-1) didn’t have much trouble moving the ball, but failed to score on two of its first three possessions after driving deep into Saddleback territory.

On their second series, the Tillers had a first and goal at the Saddleback seven, but two penalties and an incomplete pass on third down stalled the drive on the Roadrunner 15. A 32-yard field-goal attempt by Wilford sailed wide left.

Tustin marched to the Saddleback 24 on its next possession, but Joseph Reyes recovered a fumble by DeShaun Foster.

Tustin converted on its next series as Greg Carnal’s one-yard scoring run with 6:21 left in the second quarter capped a 67-yard, seven-play drive.

But Saddleback (1-4-1, 0-0-1) tied it, 7-7, when sophomore Joseph Tagaloa rushed up the middle untouched from 15 yards, completing a 52-yard drive in three plays with 4:35 remaining in the half.

Tagaloa, who finished with 151 yards in 19 carries, gave Saddleback the lead when he scored again on a 30-yard run with 1:06 left in the half.

The Tillers lost a chance to tie late in the third quarter and it eventually cost them. They had a second-and-three situation at Saddleback’s six after a seven-yard run by Foster. However, Saddleback stopped Carnal on at the four with 2:54 remaining in the third.

Foster, who led the Tillers with 113 yards in 15 carries, tied the score when he caught a three-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Robbie Caston with 9:00 remaining.