Haynes Returns to Power Foothill Past Woodbridge

This was a game of broken tackles and broken dreams. Franklin Haynes broke the tackles, Foothill shattered Woodbridge’s dreams.

Haynes rushed 26 times for 208 yards, scored twice and also did some damage defensively as Foothill beat Woodbridge, 14-10, Thursday at Tustin High.

Woodbridge, which had a chance to win the game on its final drive, instead had its winless streak extended to 14 games.

Both coaches agreed: Without Haynes, it would have been a different story. Playing for the first time in nearly two years, he was clearly the difference.

He broke several tackles on his 70-yard touchdown run, and did the same thing in the backfield on his second when it looked as if he was caught in the backfield. He scored from 12 yards.

Haynes’ touchdowns, and Jon Whiddon’s two extra points, gave Foothill (1-1) a 14-0 lead less than a minute into the second quarter. The second touchdown was set up when Haynes hit Billy Battle and caused the first of three fumbles by the Woodbridge running back.

Haynes added an interception on Woodbridge’s next series.

“I’d like to know where he came from,” Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson said. “We didn’t see him last week at Tustin.”

Haynes didn’t play in last week’s loss because he had not practiced 10 times yet, a Southern Section rule. Haynes played at Villa Park as a sophomore, spent 10 months in juvenile hall, attended what his mother, Lynetta Haynes-Jackson, called a community school to get enough credits to enroll at Foothill, and finally became eligible this week.

“It wasn’t as good as I expected,” Haynes (5-11, 180) said of his debut. “I should have had a couple more yards and scored quite a few more times, but I think I did all right [playing] for the first time in two years.”

He was stopped once at the two-yard line, and nearly eluded a tackler for another another long scoring run. Whiddon missed three field-goal attempts, of 46, 32 and 27 yards.

Woodbridge’s Morteza Malakoutian rumbled over several defenders to complete a 63-yard scoring pass from Adam Lawyer (eight for 19, 152 yards) in the second quarter, and Steve Terwiske added a 42-yard field goal in the third, but Woodbridge got no closer than the Foothill 34 in the second half.