PREVIEW: Co-league leader Santa Ana takes on Saddleback in old-time rivalry game

Saddleback players celebrate during the team’s last victory in August. (Photo courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone)

Santa Ana High’s football team will be out to remain atop the Orange Coast League standings with Orange Friday night but city opponent Saddleback will be out to pull off a big upset.

Santa Ana and Saddleback meet at 7 p.m. at Santa Ana Stadium. Santa Ana (4-3, 2-0) is trying to keep pace with Orange (7-1, 3-0). The Panthers defeated Estancia 61-14 Thursday night.

Saddleback comes in 1-6 and 0-2 in league play and on a six-game losing streak but Santa Ana Coach Charlie TeGantvoort indicated his team is not taking the Roadrunners lightly.

“Saddleback is the crosstown rival,” he said this week. “Any time it’s Santa Ana kids vs. Santa Ana kids the intensity always dials up. This used to be called the game of giants, Saddleback vs. Santa Ana. We expect to see a lot old alummi on both sides and just a great game day atmopshere.

“Everyone thinks Santa Ana is such a big place. Santa Ana is a small town. Everybody does really know everybody. Any time any of the Santa Ana schools play each other you know you’re going to get the other team’s best game. It doesn’t matter what the records are or the scores or. You know that game everybody is going to get after it.”

Santa Ana is the defending league champion and defeated Saddleback 45-0 last year.

Saddleback Coach Nickolas Diulio said his players always look forward to the game too.

“It’s a special game between two old, traditional Santa Ana high schools played in an old traditional football stadium,” he said. “The game is something special from start to finish. The energy from the players on both sides is just special, something you love to be a part of because the game comes with a lot of tradition and history.”

Saddleback will most likely have to put forth its best effort to win the game. The Roadrunners won their opener over Century 27-13 before going on the losing streak.

“We’ve got to stop making mental mistakes,” Diulio said. “With Estancia, we were in position to make plays so many times, and it seems like we were one play away from doing something great and it’s something we’ve been preaching this week in practice. It doesn’t take 10, it takes 11. If we come out and play as 11, we can do something special.”

Diulio said he believes the future looks promising for Saddleback.

“We are also a very young team,” he said. “Every game this season I think we’ve only started one senior on the offensive line. We’ve played games with two sophomores in the lineup and two juniors and one senior on the offensive line and same with the d-line. We’re young up front and I’m just waiting for those guys to hit the next step in maturity and show what they truly have potential wise.”

Top players have included running back Dominic Madrid, who is also being used on defense.

“We’re using him all over the field, he’s a great, hard-nose kid, kind of an old-school kind of kid who comes to practice and comes to do his work,” the coach said.

Kristian Valenzuela, a three-year varsity starter at defensive end, has also been solid for the Roadrunners, who has also been used at tight end.

“He’s in his third year on varsity, he’s starting to make the plays and make a name for himself,” the coach said. “Let’s see how he progresses in the next three games.”

Runnng backs Bryan Rosales and Kevin Rosales, who are brothers, have also contributed.

-Tim Burt and Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone