Segerstrom’s Isaiah Valdivia has his eyes on the end zone for a TD, one of three for him in the game. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone).
Segerstrom High School’s football team set the tone of the game on its very first play from scrimmage Friday night against Santa Ana Valley.
Sophomore quarterback Jesse Lopez connected with a wide open Artwill Baas who caught the ball near midfield and raced 81 yards for a touchdown.
It was all Segerstrom after that as the Jaguars rolled to a 53-0 nonleague victory over Santa Ana Valley in front of a big crowd, including a lively, enthusiastic student section, at Segerstrom. The Santa Ana Valley side was nearly full too.
“We worked hard all week trying to correct the game vs. Thousand Oaks (a 35-7 loss),” said Segerstrom Coach Joseph Tagaloa. “The boys looked at this as an opportunity to get back on track. We were very focused for this week and came out and we fortunate enough to execute.”
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
Photo: OC Sports Zone, Tim Burt
On its next possession, Segerstrom (1-1) had another big scoring strike with Lopez finding Jalen Cervantes on a 73-yard scoring strike. The Jaguars missed the extra point but led 13-0 early on.
“We struggled to throw the ball in week zero,” Tagaloa said. “The sophomore quarterback learned a lot getting actual game time experience so he was able to come out here and play a little more confident. He made some good throws for us.”
Lopez wound up completing 4 of 6 passes for 161 yards. Junior Pablo Garcia also had a TD pass of 28 yards to Cervantes, who had two catches for 101 yards.
Segerstrom led 19-0 after one quarter and 39-0 at halftime. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.
The Jaguars got a big boost from junior Isaiah Valdivia, who had a 43-yard TD run, a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 75-yard kick-off return on the opening kickoff of the second half that put Segerstrom ahead 46-0. He also rushed for 103 yards on three carries.
“He’s an unbelievable athlete,” Tagaloa said. “He’s always somebody who is looking to push himself on the field. He’s always volunteering to go in on scout to play every special teams, he just loves the game and tonight he was fortunate enough to play at a high level in all three aspects of the game.”
“We work hard every day, we come Monday through Friday ready to ball, it’s a team effort,” said Valdivia. “I feel without anybody blocking I wouldn’t have been able to do what I did. It’s definitely a team effort, I have to give my props to the team and the coaching staff.”
Segerstrom running back Noah Tagaloa also had a productive night scoring on touchdown runs of seven and eight yards and rushing for 54 yards.
“Noah is a pretty explosive young man,” Coach Tagaloa said of his son. “As a sophomore, this is his second season as a starter. Last year he learned a little bit and this year he plays with a little more confidence and any time we can give him the ball, we want to give him the ball because he’s one of our explosive weapons on offense. I’m proud of him as a father and as a coach.”
The Segerstrom defense caused problems all night for Santa Ana Valley, forcing five turnovers including three interceptions and limiting the Falcons offensive output. Tagaloa was pleased with the play of Mokey Leuma, Jordan Mejia and Damien Orejel.
Santa Ana Valley was led by starting quarterback Tom Guzman, who passed for 95 yards with two interceptions. Running back Mario Trujillo rushed for 37 yards. Receiver Juan Vargas had four catches for 72 yards.
The Falcons came in with some optimism after winning their opener over Ocean View 34-16.
“I’ve got love for Coach (Alfredo) Macias and his staff over there,” Tagaloa said. “He coached with me for several years. He’s a great guy. I love that guy. He’s doing a lot of good things over there and it’s hard getting kids to out and getting kids to commit, it’s something we all struggle with. He’s doing a great job with those guys over there. I’m sure they’re going to bounce back next week and come out even tougher.”
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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