No. 5 Woodbridge Struggles to Win

Good enough describes the way Woodbridge played Friday night during its 28-14 victory over Santa Ana at Santa Ana Stadium.

But on another Friday night, against a different opponent, good enough might not be enough to win. And Woodbridge Coach Rick Gibson hopes the Warriors understand that now.

The Warriors, ranked No. 5 in the county, remained undefeated at 5-0 despite committing 17 penalties for 170 yards and turning the ball over on fumbles twice.

“Obviously, we’re working for perfection,” Gibson said.”But if we play a Sea View League opponent like that, we won’t win.”

Playing like that might not have been enough to beat Santa Ana, either, had the Saints’ leading rusher, Tony Jones, not been ejected from the game early in the second quarter for kicking a Woodbridge player.

The Saints (1-3) stalled on offense when Jones, who led Santa Ana to its first victory in 30 games last week against Bolsa Grande with 192 yards and five touchdowns, was sent to the sidelines.

“It was a quick whistle and Tony was still running,” said Santa Ana Coach Mark Miller. “The way that play went down, it was kind of [unfair] to throw the kid out.”

Jones gained 34 yards on seven carries Friday.

Despite his team’s struggles, Woodbridge quarterback Scott Barlow was extremely sharp, completing nine of 11 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns. Barlow also scrambled 12 yards for a third touchdown.

Woodbridge took an 8-6 lead at the half, but scored on its first three possessions of the second half to pull away.

Reynaldo Flores gained 99 yards in 21 carries and scored one touchdown.