PHOTOS: Sonora turns up the defensive pressure for key Freeway League victory over Troy

Sonora players and cheerleaders celebrate a 34-14 Freeway League victory over Troy. (Photos courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone).

It’s fashionable now in football to award some gaudy bauble to defensive players who make big plays, and Sonora High is no exception.

The Raiders have a heavy faux gold chain with a Sonora “S” attached to it. It goes to players who have interceptions or recovery a fumble.

In eight games, the turnover chain had made 15 appearances.

That changed Friday night when it was displayed six times, on six different players, as the Raiders forced a half-dozen devastating takeaways on the way to a 34-14 victory over Troy at La Habra.

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Those heroics came in a game with unusually great significance for two teams who were each undefeated in three league games and, the victor, was in a good position to dethrone perennial champion La Habra, thanks to Troy’s 27-21 upset of the Highlnders two weeks ago.

And the two teams were as well matched as one would expect for Friday’s battle for first.

Except … For six body blow turnovers.

Two of the Raiders’ four interceptions were returned for touchdowns, 43 yards by Renner Williard and 89 yards by Alexsay Nazaroff. A third, by Robert Hernandez was returned 92 yards to the Troy 8, blunting a promising Troy drive. One of the fumble recoveries, by Mike Lozano, ended another promising Troy drive inside the Sonora 20.

“The game of football at any level is very emotional,” Sonora Coach Kevin Overlander said. ”One of the things we really try to do is to stay emotionally confident but also stable. When you take the emotion out of it you’re able to focus on your individual job”

Sonora scored first on a 49-yard pass from Landon Martin to Tyler Robertson to lead 7-0 after one. Troy matched the score on a 5-yard run by Ethan Mundt.

Sonora’s leading rusher, Anthony Abad scored on a short run giving the Raiders the lead for good.

The loss was certainly devastating for Troy (5-4, 3-1), but made Friday’s game against Sunny Hills (4-5, 1-3) still important. A win would give the Warriors a share of the Freeway League title if La Habra beats Sonora.

The Sonora-La Habra game, which will be a Sonora home game at La Habra (the schools share the stadium), has massive implications. The last time Sonora (8-1, 4-0) beat  La Habra (5-4, 3-1), was 2001 when Overlander was a senior in high school.

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—-Courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone