La Mirada Backs Run Cypress Out of Playoffs

La Mirada High running backs Junior Vaca and Brandon Williams combined for 214 yards rushing and five touchdowns to lead the Matadors to a 41-8 victory over Cypress in a Southern Section Division VI playoff game Friday at La Mirada.

Vaca rushed for 131 yards and scored three touchdowns. His 90-yard touchdown run put La Mirada up 34-0 early in the third quarter. Williams also had a big night as he ran for 83 yards and scored two touchdowns.

“Our offensive line and running backs stepped it up,” Vaca said. “The newspapers said our defense would bring us down but tonight they worked hard and did an excellent job.”

La Mirada (12-0) took a 7-0 lead with 14 seconds remaining in the first quarter. Vaca capped a seven-play, 68-yard drive with a two-yard run.

In the second quarter the Matadors’ offense took control. In a span of six minutes 21 seconds, La Mirada scored three touchdowns to take a 27-0 lead.

With 7:26 remaining in the second quarter, Williams culminated a 61-yard drive with a 13-yard touchdown run, giving La Mirada a 14-0 lead. Three minutes later, following a short Cypress punt, Vaca blasted up the middle for a 39-yard touchdown run. Williams added a 12-yard scoring run a short time later.

The La Mirada defense, led by Scott Trinidad and Ricky Lepe, sacked Cypress quarterback Justin Rice three times, forced three turnovers and held the Centurions to 77 yards in the first half.

“Our defense was motivated tonight,” La Mirada defensive line coach Dave Rush said. “These guys [Cypress] were 10-1 coming in here. We didn’t expect to do this well against them, but our guys rose to the occasion.”

Centurion running back Darren Shorter, who rushed for 222 yards last week against Saddleback, ran for 108 yards Friday.

Rice completed 19 of 35 passes and threw a 53-yard touchdown pass to Robert Clark late in the fourth quarter.