Andrew Andrade of Orange celebrates after the Panthers won the league title outright. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)
The Orange High offense did what it does best as the Panthers used an explosive ground game and a stubborn defense to capture the Orange Coast League title with a 57-13 victory over Santa Ana Friday night at Chapman University.
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Orange senior running back Isacc Galvan rushed for 290 yards and scored four touchdowns as the Panthers won their eighth consecutive game and improved to 9-1 and 5-0. The Saints fell to 6-4 and 4-1.
Galvan had TD runs of 66, 19, 2 and 2 yards helping the Panthers avenged a loss at the hands of Santa Ana last season.
“Give the credit to the O-line, without them I don’t get the numbers,” said Galvan. “We got the revenge we wanted from last season.”
Galvan has rushed for 1,505 yards this season and has scored 26 TDs. Galvan is averaging nearly 20 yards per carry and has accumulated 2,197 All-Purpose yards this season.
Panthers coach Robert Pedroza said his team played a complete game.
“We played a physical football game tonight,” said Pedroza. “Our O-Line and our D-Line got after it and I attribute that to our players and my coaching staff. Both the players and the coaches work hard in practice and I wouldn’t trade those guys for anything in the world.”
Orange’s offense got down to business on the game’s first possession. On the first play from scrimmage, Galvan raced 64 yards for a touchdown, however a holding call nullified the TD. On the Panthers next play, Galvan promptly broke a 66-yard touchdown run to give the Panthers a quickly 6-0 lead.
Following a Saints three-and-out, Santa Ana attempted a punt on fourth down, but a high snap was fumbled by the Saints. Sophomore defensive end Blaze Iglesias picked up the loose ball and ran it into the end zone for a touchdown. The Panthers added a 2-point conversion and led 14-0 after only two minutes of play.
“Give the credit for that touchdown to my nose guard, Joe Aguilera,” said Iglesias, a transfer from El Modena. “He made the play and I was able to pick up the loose ball. We played as a unit tonight.“
The Saints dug down and countered with a 10-play, 72-yard scoring drive to cut the lead to 14-7. Santa Ana quarterback Aldo Leyva tossed a 35-yard TD pass to Isaac Larriva to give the Saints a lift.
But there was no stopping the Panthers as their offense continued to propel in high-gear as they moved 55-yards in four plays to up their lead to 22-7. Pedroza capped the drive with a 1-yard touchdown run. Galvan then scored his second TD of the game on a 19-yard TD run on the first play of the second quarter, increasing the Panthers lead to 28-7.
Pedroza added an 8-yard TD run on Orange’s next possession as the Panthers increased its lead to 36-7. Pedroza completed 8 of 9 passes for 115 yards for the game and he rushed for two touchdowns.
“We remembered losing to them last year, so we came out and did what we had to do; we felt like they had it coming to them,” said Pedroza, who has passed for over 2,000 yards this season.
Leyva connected for a second TD to Larriva later in the quarter, but the Saints still trailed 36-13 at the half.
Orange racked up 282 yards on the ground (and 343 yards overall) in the first half while the Santa Ana was limited 127 yards.
Galvan added two TD runs in the second half and Isac Adetote had a short touchdown run in the fourth quarter. Andrew Andrade rushed for 52 yards and had five catches for the Panthers.
“Words cannot explain how amazing it feels to be league champs,” Andrade said.
The Orange defense led by linebackers Dylan Moses, Jaydon Bonnafoux and defensive lineman Joe Aguilera held the Saints offense in check.
“We have an anger toward them, they’re our rivals and we wanted to put a beating on them,” said Bonnafoux, who recorded two sacks. “It feels great to be the league champions. “
Santa Ana, the defending league champions, had its four-game winning snapped but still expect to qualify for the playoffs when the pairings are announced on Sunday.
The Saints are ranked No. 10 in the CIF-SS Division 8 and had beaten the Panthers five consecutive times, including a 29-0 victory over Orange last season, entering Friday’s game. The Panthers haven’t defeated the Saints since 2013 (in 2016 Orange beat Santa Ana 31-29 but later was forced to forfeit the victory due to using an ineligible player).
“I think we came in too nervous and too young tonight,” said Saints coach Charlie TeGantvoort. “When they scored early, it made it tough on us. We still expect to make the playoffs and we’ll be ready.”
Jason Costa led the Saints with 62 yards rushing on 17 carries. Larriva made outstanding catches on both of his touchdown receptions.
Orange is ranked No. 7 in the CIF Division 10 and ranked No.17 in Orange County. The Panthers have averaged over 50 points per game. Their only loss was a week two double OT setback to Yorba Linda.
STATS
RUSHING: SA, Costa 17-62, Leyva 6-13; O, Galvan 19-290, Adetoye 6-64.
PASSING: SA, Leyva 6-14-1, 67 yards, 2 TDs; Pedroza 8-9-0, 115 yards.
RECEVING: SA, Larriva 2-55, Costa 2-10; O, Andrade 5-81 Galvan 2-20.
RELATED: Pre-game photos Orange-Santa Ana
-Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
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