Pacifica Puts Big Hurt on La Quinta

La Quinta was outmanned coming into Thursday’s Garden Grove League game against Pacifica. The Aztecs finished even more outmanned as they dropped a 34-3 decision to the Mariners at Bolsa Grande High.

La Quinta (0-5, 0-2 in league) saw its starting quarterback leave in an ambulance in the second quarter and had a starting running back carried off the field in the third. Nonetheless, the Aztecs gave Pacifica (3-0-2, 2-0) more of a battle than it may have expected, trailing only 14-3 at halftime.

Pacifica looked as if it would have an easy time early, scoring on its first two possessions. The Mariners started at the La Quinta 24 after an Aztec fumble on the opening kickoff, and Matt Reis found Jeff Weber over the middle four plays later for a 13-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 lead. Pacifica got the ball back after a La Quinta punt and drove 69 yards for another touchdown, with Frankie Morieda blasting through the right side from the two-yard line for the score.

La Quinta had a scare with five minutes left in the half. Quarterback Thi Huyhn was hit as he released a pass, and the junior complained of numbness in his face and arms after the play. Huyhn was taken off the field on a stretcher and transported to Fountain Valley Regional Medical Center. La Quinta Athletic Director Jim Perry, who accompanied Huyhn to the hospital, indicated the numbness later subsided and that Huyhn was expected to be released late Thursday.

The Aztecs persevered and scored their only points on a 21-yard Justin Almazan field goal with 17 seconds left in the half, but the second half belonged entirely to Pacifica. La Quinta netted minus-3 yards after the intermission and turned the ball over three times. Meanwhile, Pacifica put the game away with three third-quarter touchdowns: a 20-yard Morieda run, a 61-yard sprint by Louie Ala, and a four-yard run by Ben Leyba.