Magic Number Is Four for Western Trio in Easy Victory Over Anaheim

Mike Hicks passed for 223 yards and four touchdowns and Chris Jackson and David Gober each scored four touchdowns to help Western defeat visiting Anaheim, 55-28 in an Orange League game Thursday.

Western (7-1, 3-0 in league) scored on its first six possessions and did not punt until the first play of the fourth quarter. Jackson put Western on the board just over a minute into the second quarter when he scored on a 20-yard run.

Jackson scored two more touchdowns on receptions of three and 48 yards from Hicks.

Anaheim (2-6, 1-2) scored with 2 minutes, 20 seconds left in the half when Ryan Paterson scrambled for 39 yards to make it 21-7.

With 28 seconds left in the second quarter, Hicks passed to Gober for a two-yard touchdown. Gober began the second half by returning the kickoff 97 yards for a score.

Anaheim scored on the next drive when Paterson threw a 35-yard touchdown pass to William Safotu.

Western, the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division IX poll, answered with a 32-yard touchdown pass from Hicks to Gober to make it 41-14.

In the fourth quarter, Jackson and Gober had scoring runs of 20 and three yards and Anaheim had touchdown runs of 10 yards by John Davis Jr. a three yards by Safotu, who rushed for 89 yards in 13 carries.

Gober had 111 yards in eight carries and caught six passes for 93 yards. At one point, Hicks completed 12 consecutive passes and finished 14 of 18.

Anaheim’s opening drive took used 8:58, but it ended when Mauricio Garcia missed a 19-yard field goal attempt.