PHOTOS: Running back Isaac Hurtado scores four TDs as Cypress tops Santa Ana 48-7

Isaac Hurtado gains yards Friday night against Santa Ana. (Photos Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).

There’s a reason why Cypress High senior running back Isaac Hurtado is being heavily recruited by Division 1 schools.

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On Friday evening at the Santa Ana Stadium, the 6-4, 220 pound Hurtado put on a display that will, no doubt, have the college coaches lining up by the dozens for a chance to secure his services next fall.

Hurtado rushed for a career-high 268 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead Cypress to a 48-7 nonleague victory over Santa Ana. Hurtado broke multiple tackles as he showed excellent balance and cutbacks ability, not to mention his speed which made him virtually unstoppable. 

“The difference was our defense and our offensive line,” said Hurtado, who noted that he has been contacted by eight schools so far, among them BYU and Colorado. “When you hold them to one touchdown, well, that’s saying a lot about your team. We studied them and our O-line was pounding it out there.”

Hurtado was quick to give credit to his offensive line (David Nelson, Isaac Kim, Marc Anthony Zaldana, John Fonseca, Jarret Miller and Luke Porteneuve) for the team’s success. 

“It feels great to be 2-0,” said Porteneuve. “I’m excited about this team. We got something special.”

Centurions coach Rick Feldman was also pleased with the win.

“We got better tonight,” Feldman said. “We’re better than people thought we were going to be, but for now, we like being under the radar. We played so much better than we did last week and cut down on mistakes.”

The Centurions (2-0) got right to business on their first possession of the game. Cypress drove 80 yards in four plays to get on the board in a hurry. The march was highlighted by a 45-yard TD pass from sophomore quarterback Dylan Eldredge to senior wide receiver Elijah Vaielua who broke several tackles and raced into the end zone giving the Centurions a 7-0 lead at the 7:05 mark of the opening quarter. 

Later in the quarter, Eldredge displayed a soft touch as he lofted a picture-perfect 39-yard touchdown pass to Hurtado, upping the Cypress lead to 13-0.

Eldredge, a sophomore, threw 194 yards and two TD passes. Vaielua caught four passes for 145 yards and two TDs.     

“I feel I’m improving and my accuracy and confidence are growing with each completion,” Eldredge added.

Midway through the second quarter, on the first play following a Santa Ana three-and-out, Hurtado sliced and diced en route to 59-yard TD run as the Centurions pulled ahead by three touchdowns.

The Cypress offense didn’t let up as Eldredge and Vaielua hooked up on another highlight-reel touchdown pass play, this one for 57 yards and propelling the Centurions to a 28-0 halftime lead.

Hurtado rushed for 169 yards in the first half and scored two touchdowns. He added two more TDs in the third quarter, including a 13-yard TD reception from Logan Lemonnier and then he ripped off an 85-yard TD run late in the third quarter. He did not play the final quarter.  

The Centurions defense, led by DE Tyler Jones, defensive tackle Xavier Torres and cornerback Kyler Kroll held the Saints offense in check in the opening half, yielding just 70 yards in the first half.

“All week long, we were keying on shutting their running game down,” said defensive end Tyler Jones. “We got after them and we were on fire.”

In the final minutes of the third quarter, the Saints capped a 90-yard drive as QB Aldo Leyva scored on a 2-yard touchdown run. Damien Feliz led the Saints with 77 yards rushing ion 19 carries.    

“We’ve gone back to basics,” said Santa Ana coach Charlie TeGantvoort. “We have 20 new starters from a year ago and that’s the cycle that occurs in high school football. Our team has given a great effort and they have passion.

“Hurtado was out biggest concern coming in here tonight. He’s a premiere high school football player. We’re young and we have to learn from this. We’ll go back to work on Monday and learn from our mistakes.”

STATISTICS

Passing:  SA, Leyva 8-15-0, 11 yards; C, Eldredge 7-8-0, 194 yards, 3TDs, Lemonnier 2-3-0, 29 yards, TD.

Rushing:  SA, Feliz 19-77, Vaca 7-39; C, Hurtado. 16-268, Calvo 3-20.  

Receiving:  SA, Perez 4-8, Feliz 3-3; C, Vaielua 4-145, Hurtado 3-68.

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-Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone