El Modena Rallies to Topple Foothill

In a game that featured two of the Southland’s leading running backs, Santa Ana Foothill High’s Mike Liti and Orange El Modena’s Daniel Dixon, it was the hands of Jerard Rabb and the leg of Mark Golino that decided the Century League contest.

Rabb caught eight passes for 145 yards to lead El Modena to a 27-24 come-from-behind victory over Foothill on Friday at Tustin High. Golino had a chance to tie the score with 27 seconds remaining, but his 37-yard field goal wobbled wide left.

El Modena appeared defeated earlier, when the Knights took a 24-7 lead with 8:05 left in the third quarter. But Dundi Cook caught a 35-yard touchdown pass from Kevin Brown two minutes later to cut the deficit to 10.

The Vanguards then stopped Liti for no gain on third and short and proceeded to march 76 yards in nine plays, scoring on Michael Pitre’s one-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter. A key play on the drive was Rabb’s leaping 20-yard reception at the one.

Foothill had a chance to add to its lead midway through the fourth quarter, but a holding penalty nullified a long reception by Derek Fitch and the Knights were forced to punt with 4:35 remaining.

Dixon turned in his biggest play of the game moments later, throwing the ball back to Brown for a 21-yard gain to the Knight 20. Brown then broke loose on a scramble, fumbling the ball out of bounds at the one, and Pitre ran it into the end zone on the next play.

The Knights got the ball back at their 35 with 1:57 remaining, but the drive stalled at the El Modena 19, setting up Golino’s field-goal attempt.

Liti made up for his lost fumble on Foothill’s first possession of the game by scoring on a three-yard touchdown run with 4:28 remaining in the first quarter.