In Give-and-Take, Valencia Loses Out

Overmatched? Not hardly.

When Valencia High wasn’t turning over the ball and giving up big plays, the Vikings were giving Peninsula all it could handle in a nonleague game Friday night at Canyon High.

But four turnovers and two Peninsula plays totaling 153 yards killed an otherwise solid effort in Valencia’s 21-7 loss to Southern Section Division I power Peninsula.

“Valencia’s defense, they kept us out of sync all night,” said Peninsula Coach Gary Kimbrell. “But our kids hung in there and we didn’t give them the big plays. That was the difference.”

And how.

Giving up the big plays was Valencia’s undoing.

A 75-yard pass play in the first quarter and a 78-yard fumble return in the third went for touchdowns and was all Peninsula needed to overcome its sluggish offense.

“When you’re playing a real good football team, you can’t give up the big plays and have turnovers,” Coach Brian Stiman of Valencia said.

Valencia (1-1) beat Peninsula (2-0) at its own game in the first half, controlling the ball for 17 of 24 minutes.

But the Vikings had only a 7-7 tie to show for it at intermission.

Quarterback Kyle Bauer of Valencia, starting in place of injured Zack Sapp, threw two first-half interceptions, one on the Vikings’ first possession after driving 61 yards in 10 plays to the Peninsula 26.

On third and seven, Chris Beal of Peninsula wrestled the ball away from receiver Brian Miller at the Panther 12.

Peninsula went three and out on its first possession. But on the second play of its second possession, quarterback Matt Hively rolled right and connected with Go Funai on a 30-yard pass. Funai shed one tackler and raced 50 yards for the touchdown.

Valencia tied it, 7-7, just before halftime, driving 69 yards and scoring on a two-yard run by Manuel White.

Valencia stopped Peninsula at midfield and forced a punt on the opening sequence of the second half.

But the Vikings gave it back less than three minutes later when White, who finished with 131 yards in 30 carries, fumbled at the Peninsula 39 after a 10-yard gain.

Big play No. 2 came as time expired in the third quarter.

After a Valencia drive stalled at the Viking 41, Brandon Miyoshi of Peninsula returned a punt five yards and fumbled. But Beal scooped up the ball at the 22 and raced down the field on a 78-yard fumble return for a touchdown.

On Valencia’s ensuing possession, Bauer threw his third interception, the only turnover on which Peninsula capitalized.

The Panthers went 54 yards in eight rushes and scored on Miyoshi’s three-yard plunge for a 21-7 lead with 6:06 remaining.

“I thought it was a hard-fought football game. For the most part our kids played ‘em tough,” Stiman said. “[But] I never play the game for moral victories.”