PHOTOS: Santiago opens season with convincing road victory over Godinez

Santiago wide receiver Daniel Padilla (17) hauls down a clutch reception as Godinez linebacker Pedro Martínez (24) applies the tackle. The catch set up the Cavaliers first touchdown of the game. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

Daniel Gonzales threw two touchdown passes and Daniel Padilla scored two touchdowns to lead Santiago to a 41-6 victory over Godinez in a nonleague game Friday night at Santa Ana Valley High.

The Cavaliers, playing their season opener, rushed for 253 yards and forced two turnovers.

“It was a complete team win,” said Padilla. “The OLine and quarterback played great and it was a team effort.”

After a scoreless first quarter, Santiago put together two long scoring drives to build a 16-0 lead.

To see the slide show, click on the first photo:

On the second play of the second quarter, Art Martinez capped a 12-play, 89-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run. He added the 2-point conversion and the Cavaliers led 8-0. The key play of the drive was a fourth-down 36-yard pass play from Gonzales to Padilla to the Grizzlies two-yard line, setting up Martinez’s touchdown.     

Following a Godinez punt, the Cavaliers again marched 89 yards for a score, this time in nine plays. Ever Lopez finished the drive by scoring on a 7-yard touchdown run, and Martinez added the 2-point conversion, giving the Cavaliers a 16-0 lead.

With a minute to go in the half, Santiago recovered a Grizzlies fumble at the Godinez 10-yard line, but the Grizzlies defense stopped the Cavaliers three times from the one-yard line to keep the score at 16-0 at halftime.

Santiago blew the game open in the third quarter as they scored three touchdowns in a span of 4:06. Gonzales tossed a 33-yard TD pass to Padilla, Padilla added a 7-yard TD run and Gonzales threw a 9-yard TD pass to Jesse Fuentes as the Cavaliers opened up a 38-0 lead.

“I give all of the credit to my assistant coaches,” said Santiago Coach Douglas Ozsvath. “They made critical adjustments at halftime and it all starts with our big bodies on the OLine.”

Martinez rushed for 103 yards on 12 carries and a touchdown and Gonzales completed six passes for 110 yards and a pair of TDs. Padilla also caught four passes for 84 yards.

The Grizzlies got on the scoreboard on Yahir Ramirez’s 82-yard TD run. Ramirez finished the game with 105 yards rushing.      

The Grizzlies (1-1) were awarded a forfeit win after it was discovered that Magnolia used an illegible player during last week’s game, according to Godinez Coach Aron Kaye.

“We played better than we did last week,” said Kaye. “Our defense didn’t play bad at all, we just couldn’t move the ball and our defense spent way too much time on the field and you can’t do that against a team like Santiago.”

—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone