Undefeated Mission Viejo Humbles Sunny Hills, 30-7

The unranked and undefeated Mission Viejo Diablos gave Orange County pollsters and the South Coast League a heads-up Friday night, and they had 10th-ranked Sunny Hills walking with their heads down after handing the Lancers a humbling 30-7 defeat at Mission Viejo High in front of a homecoming crowd of 3,500.

Quarterback Jake Fitch was the mastermind of Mission Viejo’s big victory as he picked apart a Sunny Hills defense that had not given up a touchdown all season. He passed for 147 yards and a touchdown, completing nine of 15 passes, and ran seven times for 37 yards and a touchdown.

“We knew they had six sacks last week, and that they blitzed a lot,” Fitch said. “We wanted to run the ball early to take that way from them.”

Running back Mike Chavis ran behind Mission Viejo’s big offensive line for 136 yards and a touchdown in 23 carries.

Fitch said the sportswriters who vote each week in the county poll might have been surprised by the outcome, but he wasn’t.

“We have a good football team,” Fitch said. “Tonight everyone was pumped and we wanted this. We knew we had them when we saw them walking back to the locker room at halftime. They were dead. They had their heads down and we took it to them in the second half.”

Mission Viejo (4-0) led, 10-7, at half and outscored Sunny Hills, 20-0, in the second half, and held the Lancers to only 40 yards after intermission.

“We don’t get any respect,” Fitch said. “I don’t know why. We were wondering why we weren’t ranked No. 10. We’re a Division I team and they’re a Division VIII team. But we showed we belong and we showed we’re ready for league [play].”

Sunny Hills Coach Tim Devaney was convinced.

“That’s the best Mission team we’ve played since we started this series in 1992,” he said. “They’re stuck in a heck of a league, but they’re a deceiving team. I think they’ll surprise some people.”

Sunny Hills scored the first time it touched the ball by driving 80 yards in 10 plays, but it didn’t get close after that. The running game was shut down and three turnovers--two interceptions and a fumble--didn’t help either.

Last week, the Diablos had two backs run for more than 100 yards--Chavis and fullback Scott Carr. Friday, Fitch showed he could throw the ball as he connected with five receivers. “We wanted to mix it up more,” he said.

Fitch said he knows all about the recent struggles of Mission Viejo’s football program--8-23 over the last three years.

“We haven’t started four and zero since 1991, and that team lost its fifth game,” he said. “We ain’t losing our fifth game.”

The Diablos play Century next Saturday at Santa Ana Stadium. Chances are, they might even have a ranking next to their name by then.