Mission Viejo defeats Mater Dei to stay perfect

Austin Reuland and Frank Randall each scored on a reverse and caught a touchdown pass as Mission Viejo scored 21 unanswered points in the second half on its way to a 42-21 victory over Santa Ana Mater Dei in a Pac-5 Division semifinal Friday night at Santa Ana Stadium.

Rueland’s 10-yard run closed out the scoring with 3:20 left, but the top-seeded Diablos (13-0) settled the issue long before that. The onslaught started on Mission Viejo’s first drive of the third quarter, when Randall scored on a 30-yard run. Bryan Keller then caught a 22-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Alex Bridgford to give Mission Viejo a 28-14 lead with 2:27 left in the third quarter.

Tre Madden’s one-yard quarterback dive increased the Diablos’ lead to 35-14 with 7:49 left in the fourth quarter. Safety Max Redfield set up the score with an interception and 17-yard return to Mater Dei’s 38-yard line.

Mission Viejo will play the winner of Saturday’s semifinal game between Mission Hills Alemany (12-0) and Anaheim Servite (12-0).

Dallas Kessman rushed for 102 yards in 22 carries for Mission Viejo, which intercepted Mater Dei quarterback Max Wittek three times.

Mater Dei senior running back Corbin Anderson did not play because of “school issues,” according to Monarchs Coach Bruce Rollinson. Anderson ran for 161 yards and two touchdowns in the Monarchs’ 17-0 quarterfinal win over Tesoro.

Randall caught a 19-yard touchdown pass from Bridgford to pull Mission Viejo even, 14-14, with 1:08 remaining in the first half.

The Diablos drove 69 yards in 12 plays, aided by a pass-interference penalty that nullified an interception by defensive back Glen Raphael.

Wittek’s 27-yard touchdown pass to Victor Blackwell capped a 10-play, 59-yard drive that gave the Monarchs a 14-7 lead with 7:03 left in the second quarter.

Wittek connected with Blackwell again on a 48-yard pass play to pull Mater Dei (8-5) to within 35-21 with 5:27 left in the fourth quarter.

Mission Viejo took a 7-0 lead three plays into the game when Bridgford connected with Reuland on a 53-yard touchdown. Mater Dei needed only two plays and 25 seconds to pull even on Freddie Mora’s 17-yard run, set up by Treavon Coley’s 52-yard kickoff return.

Momentum took a swing toward Mission Viejo when Wittek was stopped short on a quarterback sneak on fourth and inches inside the Diablos’ one-yard line with 3:10 left in the first quarter.

—Steve Galluzzo

Oaks Christian beats Valencia, 42-33

The Lions scored three touchdowns on their first six plays of the second half to break open a tie game and roll past Valencia in a Northern Division semifinal at Valencia High.

The win sends Oaks Christian to a division final for eighth time in as many seasons. The Lions will meet Westlake next week.

For Valencia, the loss marked the third consecutive time its season has ended in the Northern Division semifinals.

The teams went into halftime tied, 14-14, after Valencia’s Steven Manfro scored in the closing second of the second period on a one-yard plunge. But the Lions came roaring out in the third quarter, scoring on their first play from scrimmage when quarterback Richie Harrington hit Blair Holliday in the flat and Holliday dodged a tackler before dashing 35 yards for the score.

Harrington hooked up with Jordan Payton on a nine-yard touchdown pass on the Lions’ second possession and one play after an interception, Harrington found Payton again for a 19-yard score to give Oaks Christian a 34-14 lead.

Valencia bounced back on a 39-yard touchdown pass from Alex Bishop to Matt Nyberg but Harrington found Holliday again with 26 seconds left in the period to make it 42-21.

Harrington completed 21 of 31 passes for 282 yards and five touchdowns for Oaks (11-2). Ten of those completions went to Payton for 179 yards and three scores, and Holliday caught seven passes for 96 yards.

Manfro, who came in averaging 12 yards a carry for Valencia (11-2), saw the swarming Oaks defense “hold” him to 117 yards in 25 attempts, many of those yards coming after the Lions built their big second-half lead. That still gave him a Santa Clarita Valley record of 2,556 rushing yards for the season.

Bishop carried the bulk of the Vikings’ offensive load Friday, passing for 337 yards and four scores for the Vikings.

—Kevin Baxter