Segerstrom’s Jacob Rodriguez (No. 3) celebrates after a touchdown Thursday night.
Segerstrom’s football team got back into the win column Thursday night, defeating Troy 29-7 in a nonleague game at Fullerton High School District Stadium.
“The victory was big for us, coming off a disappointing loss last week (21-7 to defending CIF champion El Modena),” said Segerstrom Coach Joseph Tagaloa. “It was a real testament to these guys to come out here and put on these pads and play on a Thursday which we’ve never done. It was nice to come out and get a victory.
“Obviously, we didn’t play as well as we wanted to but we were able to compete every snap and that’s what we ask of these kids.”
Segerstrom’s defense put constant pressure on Troy quarterback Jonathan Rochester. Rochester passed for 150 yards but he was sacked nine times and the Jaguars’ Jacob Rodriguez had an interception.
In the first half, Troy managed to advance the ball to the Segerstrom 19 yard line, the Jaguars 26 and the Segerstrom 37. But Segerstrom held each time.
“Our defense plays with a chip on their shoulders,” Tagaloa said. “They take pride in shutting people out. They were actually angry that they got in late in the game. I think that’s great to have that kind of passion.”
To see the slide show, please click on the first photo.
Sophomore quarterback Angel Vega led the way offensively for the Jaguars (3-1) throwing three touchdown passes and passing for 178 yards.
“We had high hopes because we came off a hard loss to El Modena,” Vega said. “And then we had a hard week of practice. Our whole team was a little banged up, but we recovered and everyone came out and did their job.”
Vega threw a 15-yard TD pass to Rodriguez and a 53-yard TD pass to Carlos Moreno-Barajas in the first half.
Segerstrom moved ahead 19-0 on a 3-yard TD run by Enrique Lopez. Lopez rushed for 126 yards on 14 carries.
Then, Vega hooked up with Anthony Gomez on a 28-yard TD late in the third quarter. Natalie Castro connected on a 25-yard field goal in the final quarter to make it 29-0.
Troy (0-4) scored in the final seconds when Rochester scored on a 1-yard keeper. Troy got a strong effort from running back Joshua Hoggard, who rushed for 67 yards on 17 carries.
There was a scary moment in the game too.
In the third quarter Segerstrom free safety Farid Partida was injured making a tackle. The game was delayed about 15 minutes while Partida was treated on the field. He was taken by ambulance to a local hospital but waved to fans as he was leaving.
“He’s coming off hip surgery; he had a screw put into his hip, he was out his whole sophomore year,” said Tagaloa. “He worked hard in the off-season to get back on the field and worked his way into a starting position.
“As far as the severity of the injury, they couldn’t tell, they just knew it was the same hip he had surgery on and they were going to take him to CHOC to make sure everything was OK.”
Players from both teams kneeled as Partida was being treated. The Segerstrom players joined together for a prayer after the team meeting.
“After he got hurt, we all got chills knowing that he had a hard off-season coming off another injury and we had to play for him for the rest of the game,” Vega, the Segerstrom quarterback said. “We were all praying for him and we’re all going to pray again for him later.”
STATS
Seg       7  6  13  3  –  29
Troy       0  0   0   7  –  7
RUSHING: Seg Lopez 14-126, Vega 9-24; Troy Hoggard 17-67; Simpson 1-3.
PASSING: Seg Vega 10-15-0, 178 yards, 3 TDs; Troy Rochester 11-29-1, 150 yards.
RECEIVING: Seg Moreno-Barajas 3-84, Roa 3-15; Troy Levine 4-55, Popoff 1-33.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone
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