Chavez Falls, but Loara Recovers to Beat Cerritos

Loara weathered the loss of leading rusher Billy Chavez, turned in a strong second half and defeated Cerritos, 31-14, in a Southern Section Division VI playoff game Friday at Glover Stadium.

Chavez, Orange County’s sixth-leading rusher, went out with a broken clavicle in the first quarter, but Sam Weicks and Steven Douglas picked up the rushing slack. Weicks rushed for 102 yards and scored two second-half touchdowns and Douglas rushed for 52 yards and one touchdown.

Loara (7-4) held Cerritos to 46 yards in the first half, but trailed 6-3 at halftime. Then the Saxons got rolling. Midway through the third quarter, Jermaine Whiten, Cerritos’ leading rusher, fumbled at the Dons’ 36-yard line. Minh Nguyen recovered, and four plays later Douglas scored on a five-yard run to give Loara a 10-6 lead.

George Risberg then blocked a Charles Cordray punt with Douglas recovering at the six-yard line. After a personal-foul penalty and three plays, Nguyen scored on a 13-yard run to make the score 17-6. With 10 minutes 4 seconds left in the game, Weicks scored on a 45-yard run.

After Whiten scored on a one-yard run, Weicks ended the scoring with a 40-yard run.

Loara quarterback Ryan Gusman completed six of 17 passes for 102 yards with Rudy Acosta catching four for 76 yards. Acosta also made an interception, his county-leading ninth of the season.