Tustin Uses Experience to Defeat Foothill, 56-15

What a difference a game makes.

Having opened its season a week earlier with a loss to Servite, the Tustin football team appeared more prepared than rival Foothill, defeating the Knights, 56-15, in their nonleague matchup Thursday night at Tustin High.

Senior Branden Malcom and three other rushers each gained at least 50 yards, Malcom leading the pack with 161 yards and three touchdowns in 18 carries. He scored a fourth touchdown on a first-quarter pass from David Miller.

“Usually, if we are bigger, stronger and faster than you, I won’t really screw the game up,” Tustin Coach Myron Miller said. “We were just too physical for them.”

Senior Mike Zill ran for 92 yards and two touchdowns in nine carries and sophomore Ricky Williams had 52 yards and two touchdowns in five second-half carries.

Tustin (1-1) established the run early, outgaining Foothill, 127 to minus-9 yards rushing in the first quarter, to take a 20-0 lead.

Foothill (0-1) pulled within 20-8 on Mike Castillo’s 29-yard touchdown pass to Auskia Carroll early in the second quarter, but Tustin scored the next 36 points.

Castillo finished with 201 yards on 14-of-28 passing for the Knights.