Esperanza Adds to Winning Streak
Despite Esperanza’s No. 7 ranking in the county, and its three-game winning streak, Coach Gary Meek was not entirely satisfied with the way his team was playing.
“We’ve been inconsistent, especially on offense,” Meek said before Thursday’s meeting with Pasadena Muir. “Tonight is a big test, especially with [Sunset] league starting next week.”
Well, Meek still did not get satisfaction, but the Aztecs did win, 30-14, in front of an estimated 4,000 at Valencia High.
The Aztecs (4-1) contained speedy running back Sultan McCullough (20 carries, 72 yards) and gave up only two big pass plays: a 34-yarder to Deangelo Steward Holmes and a 50-yarder Devon Myrick for both touchdowns for Muir (3-2). Those plays accounted for 84 of quarterback LaShaun Ward’s 133 passing yards.
Esperanza quarterback David Parrish passed for 156 yards and one touchdown, 58 yards to Rod Jackson. Other Esperanza scores came on one-yard runs by Parrish and Brent Garrison, a three-yard run by Jamaal Footman, and a safety.
Still Meek did not sound too impressed, especially with his team taking on Los Alamitos next week.
“We scored 30 points, so we did some things right,” Meek said. “But we still dropped too many passes, and still gave up too many big plays on defense. We’re still not crisp.”
In the third quarter after catching a seven-yard pass, Muir receiver Anthony Kelley was injured when his head was yanked backward while being tackled by Esperanza’s Marcus Mullins.
After he got to the sideline under his own power, Kelley lay on the ground nearly 20 minutes with a collar around his neck until an ambulance arrived to take him to Placentia Linda Hospital for further treatment.
“My hand got caught around the top of his helmet,” Mullins said. “I wasn’t trying to hurt him.”
Muir Coach Eric Johnson said it was “a clean play, a football play. They’re not a dirty team.”
Parrish had the yardage in the first half (126 yards) if not the efficiency, completing only five of 16 attempts.
Two were big ones, though: a 58-yard touchdown pass to Jackson in the first quarter, and a 39-yard completion to Randy Ross, which took Esperanza from the Muir 42 to the Muir 3 with 14 seconds left in the half. Footman eventually scored on a three-yard run as time expired.