PHOTOS: La Habra captures 28-21 victory over Sunny Hills and earns Freeway League title

La Habra players celebrate after Friday’s victory over Sunny Hills in a league showdown. (Photo courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone)

It wouldn’t be unreasonable to say La Habra’s football team is in a league of its own.

Friday night the Highlanders rebuffed an upset-minded Sunny Hills, 28-21, to secure their 13^th Freeway League title in 14 seasons and their 21^st in the 24 years Frank Mazzotta has been head coach.

“The streak lives,” Mazzotta told his players after the Highlanders completed their truncated 2021 six-game spring season undefeated. Sunny Hills (5-1) lost only to La Habra and was second in the Freeway League for the third year in a row.

“People thought this was the year we could get beat,” Mazzotta said. “But I thought differently. I know how hard these kids have worked for this.”

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Anyone who underestimated the Highlanders was more optimist than realist. 

La Habra has lost only twice in its last 84 Freeway League games, 42-38 to Troy in 2006 and 27-13 to Buena Park in 2016. In the CIF playoffs, La Habra plays at least five divisions higher (Division 3 to Sunny Hills’ Division 8).

“It’s La Habra,” a pragmatic Sunny Hills Coach Pete Karavedas said. “In a normal season, you play for a CIF championship, not a Freeway League title. But without the playoffs this was the game this year.”

In a game filled with standout seniors on both teams, it was La Habra sophomore quarterback Justin Gil who was the difference maker.

Most will talk about Gils’ passing statistics: 16 completions for 199 yards and two touchdowns, but it was his feet that made the difference.

Gils’ ability to avoid pressure led to breakdowns in the Sunny Hills’ secondary and blunted the Lancer pass rush. On his first TD pass, a 6-yarder to Jackson Henry, Gil avoided tacklers faked a throw, drawing defenders up and then lobbed a floating pass to Henry. Had the pass been incomplete, La Habra would have lost the ball on downs.

 La Habra built its advantage to 14-0 in the second quarter, recovering a muffed punt at the Sunny Hills’ 13. Craig Zachery scored the first of his two 1-yard touchdowns three plays later and La Habra appeared in control.

That feeling didn’t last long.

On Sunny Hills’ first play after the kickoff sophomore David Mahood, who had carried the ball only three times all season, took a handoff on a reverse and zipped through the La Habra defense on a 77-yard scoring run.

Things became even more interesting when La Habra’s next drive stalled and the Highlander punt was blocked, giving the Lancers the ball at the 13. Brandon Roberts, whose rush had forced the errant punt, caught a 13-yard pass from Max Spero and in a span of less than two minutes and two offensive plays the Lancers had tied the score.

None of that seemed to bother Gil. He needed only a minute, 50 seconds to regain the lead. He directed the Highlander offensive efficiently, and used his feet again to prolong the play that led to a 32-yard scoring strike to Brandon Vazquez 1:26 before intermission.

 The Highlanders expanded that advantage to 28-14 by consuming the first six minutes of the third quarter on a drive that ultimately resulted in Zachery’s second 1-yard TD run.

Sunny Hills’ narrowed the deficit to one score a minute into the fourth quarter on David Harris’ 10-yard run.

The Lancers had another promising drive with five minutes left in the game, but on fourth and 7 at the Highlander 35, La Habra defensive back Chase Nixon fended off a blocker and tackled Mahood three yards short of a needed first down.

—-Courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone