ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: PREP EXTRA : Servite Dominates Tustin on the Way to Golden West Title

What football tradition there is in the still-wet-behind-the-ears Golden West League has all belonged to Servite.

In two years, no league team has defeated the Friars. In two years, no one has come close.

Servite’s 49-0 rout over Tustin Friday at Cal State Fullerton only underscored the Friars’ dominance. It was billed as a title fight between two teams undefeated in league, but looked more like an undercard.

For years, the Friars scrapped in the dog-eat-dog Angelus League. Now they seem a breed apart.

“It’s our league title until someone takes it away from us,” Friar running back Vince Reed said.

Tustin was not up to the task.

The Tillers (4-5-1, 3-1-1), who have not had a winning season since 1992, managed to get to the playoffs under first-year Coach Myron Miller. But doing so with a winning record meant getting past the seventh-ranked Friars (8-2, 5-0), who averaged 32 points in league games the last two years.

Tustin was not about to change that pattern.

“We knew we were going to beat the other teams in the league, but we thought Tustin was going to be a tough game,” quarterback Greg Cicero said. “That surprised us.”

Said center Josh Trasher: “No it didn’t. We were prepared.”

It showed.

Cicero completed seven of nine passes for 201 yards and three touchdowns. He has 21 touchdown passes on the season.

Reed gained 108 yards in 10 carries, including touchdown runs of 56 and 11 yards and a 59-yard touchdown catch. He has 12 touchdowns on the season.

Both Cicero and Reed were pulled early in the third quarter.

The Tillers hadn’t allowed more than 21 points in a game this season. Servite got that in the third quarter.

Tustin just couldn’t keep up.

The Tillers were without quarterback Robbie Caston, who had to sit out after being ejected from last week’s game. His replacements, Pierre Sanjurjo and Todd Scott, fumbled four times, losing three.

Servite’s David Graham recovered one fumble in the end zone.

The Tillers moved the ball in the first half. They got to the Friar 22-yard line in the first quarter, but Servite’s Nick Baclit recovered a DeShaun Foster fumble.

Tustin had a first-and-goal on the Friar eight in the second quarter, but gained only four yards in three running plays. The Tillers trailed by only a touchdown at the time, but Miller opted to go for it on fourth down. Foster was stopped for no gain.

“I went for it it on fourth down from our own 16 last week,” Miller said. “I do different things.”

The Friars did things well and led, 21-0, at halftime.

Cicero threw touchdown passes of 59 yards to Reed and 58 yards to Jason Cantor. Both easily beat Tiller defensive backs in man-to-man coverage.