Portola’s Kaveh Wojtowich is mobbed by teammates after scoring the Bulldogs first TD on a 42-yard TD pass from Brandon Yue. (Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)
Portola’s football team did it; the Bulldogs lived up to their team theme and protected the pedigree on their first ever varsity game.
Portola broke open a close game at halftime by outscoring Fairmont Prep 19-0 in the third quarter en route to a 39-20 victory in the season opener for both teams at Portola.
“This is a very special one,” said Portola Coach Peter Abe. “How we played definitely needs to get better. There were a bunch of juniors running around. They have to get hit a couple times. We made some mistakes.
“We’re going to look back and look at the video and get better. One day at a time, one play at a time. The one thing we’re most proud of is that we didn’t know what we were going to get out here. But they were in control of pushing the pace.”
Portola (1-0) was led by Russell Sung, who had three touchdowns. Sung hauled in an 85-yard screen pass from quarterback Brandon Yue in the second quarter to put the Bulldogs ahead, 13-6. He then had a 55-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and capped the night with a 14-yard TD run late in the third quarter.
Sung wound up with 164 yards rushing.
“I started slow; I got frustrated but we kept pounding the ball and thanks to the linemen, they’re great and they’re wonderful, they created lanes for me and I utilized them and came up big,” Sung said. “I’ve got to give credit to my coaches and my teammates for rallying around another and getting this W, our first varsity win.”
Fairmont Prep (0-1) jumped ahead early on a 14-yard TD run by Brian Wright.
But Portola countered later in the quarter with its first ever varsity TD. Yue hooked up with Kaveh Wojtowich on a 42-yard TD pass to tie it up.
After that, Portola began to wear down Fairmont Prep, which suited up just 15 players. Some were out with injuries, some for other reasons said Coach Fred Romo.
“They’re tough, we knew it was going to be a typical game,” Romo said. “They beat us, that’s the way it goes. We have an off week, we still have three kids not even in camp yet. So, when you really think about it we were missing six players. Some aren’t even here for school yet.”
STATS
FP Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â 06 Â Â 00 Â Â 00 Â Â Â 14 Â Â – Â Â 20
PHS Â Â Â Â Â Â 06 Â Â 07 Â Â 19 Â Â Â 07 Â Â – Â Â 39
Rushing: FP, Wright 7-122, Karam 6-45
PHS, Sung 13-189; Yue 11-52
Passing:Â FP, Ala 10-20-0, 154 yards
PHS, Yue 3-10-0, 132 yards, 2 TDs
Receiving: FP, Chacon 4-68, Wright 4-46
PHS, Sung 1-85, Wojtowich 1-42
-Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone
More Stories
Determination pays off with a CIF title for Portola track standout Rider Cooper
Santa Ana football coach Rory Schoonmaker resigns to accept job at El Segundo
Crean Lutheran football team begins preparing for new challenges in 2024