Irvine senior quarterback Sina Saferzadeh runs away from Santa Ana defensive end Jason Rodriguez during the first half of Friday’s Iota League opener at Irvine Stadium. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone.)
In the first game of Iota League play, Irvine High School’s football team defended home field on its homecoming, downing Santa Ana 43-7 Friday night at Irvine Stadium on the back of two-way stardom by quarterback Sina Saferzadeh and multiple forced turnovers.
Irvine (5-1, 1-0) cruised from the start of the matchup, opening up an early 22-0 lead by the end of the first quarter. At the helm of the Vaqueros’ success was Saferzadeh, a star senior who also plays linebacker. Saferzadeh totaled 213 yards and two touchdowns through the air while contributing a sack and interception on the defensive side of the ball.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
Irvine Coach Tom Ricci spoke about Saferzadeh’s versatility postgame to OC Sports Zone.
“I said, look, if you think you can do it, I’m down to go and have a guy go both way [on offense and defense],” Ricci said. “We can use Sina as a weapon, as a runner, or in the air. You know, you can’t really kind of lock him down because he’s got so many different things he can do.”
On offense, Saferzadeh was aided by his number one receiver, Enzo Cahoon. Cahoon, a junior who also plays on both sides of the ball, totaled seven catches for 110 yards and a score. Irvine’s offense is an extremely pass heavy one, with Cahoon and Saferzadeh’s connection seemingly the emphasis on Friday.
Ricci raved about his team’s versatility on offense, explaining how the Vaqueros have had wins where both the run and passing games have alternated paving the way to success, calling his offense “multifaceted.”
On Friday, Irvine’s ground game was more of an accessory to kill clock when the win was already secured, but it was efficient nonetheless.
Jayden Heo, Kyle Fogarty and Saferzadeh controlled the tempo on the ground for the majority of the game for the Vaqueros, combining for 54 yards and a touchdown.
When the game had long been decided in the fourth quarter, Vaquero backup quarterback Ronin Scheinblum punched in a short score on the goal line to extend the Irvine lead to 36.
Irvine collected three turnovers on Friday and got to the Santa Ana quarterback three times for a sack. The win starts Irvine’s five-game league schedule with an emphatic triumph.
“It feels great coming out, homecoming weekend [and] getting a great win for our school,” Saferzadeh said. “Also our league opener, it kind of just sets a tone for league going in … we want to impose our will on our opponents and just [have them] know we’re rolling up.”
The Vaqueros look to move to 2-0 in the Iota League vs. Canyon Thursday at Fred Kelly Stadium.
On Santa Ana’s side of the ball, the loss serves as a tough reminder about how important league matchups are.
With the exception of a strong touchdown drive in the second quarter aided by Irvine penalties, Santa Ana (3-3, 0-1) couldn’t find a rhythm on offense all night long. Junior quarterback Alejandro Gil struggled to push the ball downfield, while workhorse running back Evan Maldonado was held to 3.5 yards per carry on 20 rushes on Friday.
Santa Ana also had two turnovers that gave Irvine high quality opportunities on offense.
Postgame, Santa Ana Coach Luis Cruz offered praise after a tough showing.
“Our guys fought hard. We had a lot of guys that had to fill in for starters who weren’t there and they did the best they could,” Cruz said.
Santa Ana will have an uphill battle to qualify for CIF playing after falling to 3-3 overall and dropping its first league contest. When asked about what his message to his team is with over half of the season already complete, Cruz was blunt.
“Improve.”
The Saints were led on offense by Maldonado and wide receiver Zorion Ward, who caught Santa Ana’s lone touchdown.
The Saints will look to right the ship against Troy on the road in week seven.
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