Vinson, Dana Hills Roll Over El Toro

The Dana Hills football team had more to celebrate than a victory after defeating El Toro, 28-16, Thursday night.

The host Dolphins (4-6, 3-2) secured a spot in next week’s Southern Section playoffs as the South Coast League’s third-place representative.

Terrell Vinson sparked the victory with a performance that included touchdown runs of 42 and 59 yards on Dana Hills’ first two possessions of the second half. After gaining only 38 yards in the first half, the sophomore running back finished with 210 yards in 27 carries.

Vinson got the Dolphins on the board when he caught an eight-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Steve Vierra in the first quarter. On the flip side, he also fumbled a punt return that led to an El Toro field goal in the third quarter.

“It’s not that we weren’t playing hard in the first half, it’s just that we knew we could have played harder,” Vinson said. “We stepped it up in the second half.”

Dana Hills scored first with a seven-play, 46-yard drive finished by Vierra’s scoring pass. El Toro’s Vinnie Mascari returned the ensuing kickoff 41 yards, setting up his team’s seven-play, 56-yard scoring drive, capped by Tom Kirchmeyer’s 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Greg Peacock.

Nick Garton returned the second-half kickoff 48 yards, and three plays later Vinson made his first touchdown run. He scored again on the Dolphins’ next possession.

Dana Hills forced an El Toro punt that Vinson fumbled. Five plays later, Garrett Collins kicked a 31-yard field goal. The Chargers (3-7, 1-4) scored again on Austin Cooper’s one-yard run.