Foothill Can’t Make Any Progress in a 10-7 Loss to Woodbridge

Foothill took several steps forward in its nonleague football game against Woodbridge Thursday night. Unfortunately for the Knights, they took twice as many steps back.

Saddled with inexperience at the quarterback position, Foothill couldn’t generate enough consistency on offense and lost to the Warriors, 10-7, at Tustin High.

“We were able to move the ball, but then the next play we’d lose 10 yards,” Foothill Coach Doug Case said. “We took too many sacks and that’s a sign of immaturity.”

Case alternated junior Derek Fitch and sophomore Don Poole at quarterback, but together they completed just six of 22 passes for 89 yards. Fitch and Poole were also sacked four times, including an eight-yard loss with about a minute to play that backed Foothill up to the Woodbridge 31-yard line.

Two plays later, Mark Golino’s 47-yard field goal came up a few yards short.

“You can’t take a sack when you’re down on the 20-yard line,” Case said. “Now you’re out of field-goal range.”

Foothill, which was shut out, 6-0, in its season opener against Tustin last week, also failed to take advantage of the Warriors’ short-handed offense.

Will Banks rushed for 200 yards in Woodbridge’s 31-14 victory over Pacifica last week, but suffered a sprained ankle on the final offensive play and his status was questionable leading up to the game.

Banks entered the game briefly in the second and third quarters, but carried the ball only twice for 17 yards.

“The first time I went in I hurt my ankle again,” Banks said.

Foothill turned a botched field-goal attempt early in the second quarter into its first points of the season. Fitch mishandled the snap from center on the attempt, but rolled out and found Matt Goto behind the defense for a 25-yard touchdown pass.

Foothill held the lead until the first possession of the second half, when Woodbridge wide receiver Rex Peterson caught a short pass from Jimmy Pearson and turned it into a 69-yard touchdown.

After another mishandled snap, this time on a Foothill punt, Woodbridge began its next possession at the Foothill 23, setting up a 29-yard field goal by Jason Ellis.