Esperanza, Schuster Run Over Peninsula

Even though third-ranked Esperanza had won its first two games and was coming off a 38-point victory, Coach Gary Meek was not satisfied because the offense was not evenly distributed. Too much passing, not much running.

But on Thursday, Meek and Esperanza got the balance they wanted, rushing for 238 yards and passing for 168 yards in a 38-24 victory over Palos Verdes Peninsula at Valencia High.

Jarrod Schuster was responsible for the bulk of the running, amassing 191 yards in 21 carries. He scored two touchdowns, including a breathtaking 76-yard romp through half the Panther defense in the third quarter that put the Aztecs ahead 24-8 and pretty much decided the outcome.

“Schuster gave us the kind of game we needed tonight,” Meek said. “His running allowed [quarterback] Grant Wagner to throw efficiently [completing 13 of 19]. And our offensively pretty much dominated the line of scrimmage. That was the key; we wore on them.”

Schuster said the coaches “had us work hard on the running game all week in practice. The line was great at opening holes tonight; I just ran until they put me down.”

While seemingly mismatched against Esperanza, Peninsula--ranked first in Division II--was pesky and never quit. But the Panthers (2-1) were also one-dimensional.

Their power-veer running attack was effective. Three different backs had 60 or more yards, led by Amir Najafi’s 67 yards in 12 carries, and the Panthers totaled 340 yards on the ground. But they couldn’t throw the ball well. Quarterback Matt Hively completed only three of six pass attempts, was sacked three times and was intercepted once.

“Esperanza is a good team. They certainly were the best on the field tonight,” Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell said.

After the opening kickoff, Esperanza went 71 yards in 10 plays, culminating with a two-yard touchdown run by Schuster.

And, after stopping the Panthers on fourth down from their 38, the Aztecs marched 62 yards and scored again on a 12-yard pass from Wagner to Kris Hall.

Midway into the second quarter, however, Peninsula got its running game going, keeping the ball for 6:54 and 13 plays before ending a 71-yard drive on Rob Meissner’s three-yard scoring run.

Esperanza had 1:56 left to try and score again. Wagner used 1:20 to guide Esperanza from its 35 to the Peninsula 37. That was enough for kicker Nathan Fikse, who booted a 56-yard field goal last week against Rancho Alamitos. He had an shorter distance this week--55 yards--and cleared the crossbar.