Vaqueros Dominate Again and Beat Loara

Irvine posted four lopsided victories to open the season, and on Saturday the Vaqueros, ranked sixth in the county, made it five consecutive wipeouts, beating Loara, 24-0, at Irvine High.

Irvine (5-0) opens Sea View League play next week against rival Newport Harbor.

The Irvine defense gave up only 33 yards and four first downs. The Loara offense’s deepest penetration was to the Vaquero 40-yard line, and that series ended when Irvine’s Joe Bollard returned an interception 60 yards for a touchdown with 6 minutes 13 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The Vaquero defense also helped Irvine quarterback Josh Short, who learned this week that he would start Saturday after regular starter Travis Otott injured his knee at practice Tuesday. Otott, who should be back in the lineup soon after missing the game with a bruised right knee, leads the county with a 178.3 rating.

“[Short] did a great job,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said. “He’s got a lot of confidence and the team has confidence in him.”

Short threw short for most of the game and the plan worked, as he completed 14 of 20 passes for 164 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

“When Travis got hurt, we knew we had to step it up,” Short said, “and I just tried to fill the role.”

Short was backed by Peter Abe, who gained 101 yards in 24 carries and scored the game’s first touchdown, a one-yard dive that put Irvine ahead, 10-0, with 8:04 left in the second quarter.

The Vaqueros made it 17-0 on their next series when Eric Patton caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Short. Patton finished with seven receptions for 112 yards.

From there the Irvine defense only tightened as Loara (1-4) managed minus-one yard of offense in the second half.

No matter how well Irvine played, Henigan wasn’t taking anything for granted about next week’s rematch with Newport Harbor, which defeated Irvine, 19-18, in the Southern Section Division VI final last season.

“I watched Newport Harbor [Friday] so I don’t feel so good right now,” Henigan said. “It’s a tough, very balanced league.”