Spartans Give Katella Dickens of a Time

Villa Park’s 35-0 thrashing of Katella Saturday could be subtitled a Tale of Two All-League Quarterbacks.

The Spartans had theirs, senior John Henry Jackson, who threw for 318 yards and two touchdowns. The Knights didn’t have theirs, injured senior Chris Haller, who was out with a bad ankle. Without him, Katella looked skittish and out of sync, turning the ball over six times and never mounting much of an offensive attack.

“That was our game plan, to sit back on their young quarterback and let him throw to us,” Villa Park Coach Pat Mahoney said of Katella quarterback Andre Huseman, who had four passes intercepted.

Of his quarterback, Mahoney had nothing but praise. “He’s a three-year starter for us and we’ve had a controlled passing game the last two years but we’re doing a much better job of getting the ball downfield this year. However far we go, he’s the one who’s going to lead us.”

Besides Haller, who Katella Coach Dominik Unger hopes will return next week against Sunny Hills, the Knights were without starting guard Jose Aranda, out with a sore ankle.

“But I’m not making excuses,” Unger said. “We got our butts kicked by a very good football team. But we helped them out by turning the ball over and making mistakes. We are not a very disciplined football team right now.”

Jackson, who completed 14 of 24 passes, struck early in the first quarter. After a sack by Katella’s Bryce Tackett set up a third and 21 at the Villa Park 49, Jackson connected with Adam Stayberg for a 51-yard touchdown.

Katella’s David DeMarco snuffed Villa Park’s other scoring threat in the quarter, blocking Bryan Arguello’s 41-yard field-goal attempt. In the second quarter, a roughing-the-kicker penalty against Katella gave the Spartans the ball at the Katella nine-yard line. Jackson capitalized, scoring on a one-yard keeper. Arguello’s kick put Villa Park up, 14-0.

Katella’s lone sniff of the end zone came in the second quarter. Running back Ruben Torres barreled through the Spartan defense for a 45-yard gain, but an Arguello interception in the end zone ended the drive.

Jackson frustrated Katella’s defense all night with his scrambling ability. One such scamper enabled him to elude the defense long enough to find Arguello for a 20-yard touchdown on Villa Park’s first offensive series of the second half, to give the Spartans a 21-0 lead.

Later in the quarter, Jackson connected with three different receivers--Stayberg, Campos and Arguello--on a six-play, 65-yard drive culminating in Houston Williams’ 16-yard rushing touchdown.