
OC Sports activities Zone: Group First
Irvine’s soccer group, led by Coach Tom Ricci, joins within the faculty’s alma mater and later thanks the followers for attending. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports activities Zone).
Irvine Excessive Faculty’s soccer group put collectively an efficient ball management offense and mixed with a stingy defensive effort which made some key stops, defeated Laguna Hills 28-7 in a non-league sport Thursday evening at Irvine Stadium.
Main the best way for Irvine (3-1) was senior quarterback Sina Saferzadeh. He accomplished 12 of 23 passes for 165 yards and rushed for 118 yards on 13 carries, offering the offensive spark and management.
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Junior operating again Seamus Hoffman was additionally strong, scoring two dashing touchdowns. He wound up with 87 yards dashing on 20 carries. Receiver Enzoo Cahoon had 5 catches for 59 yards.
“The fellows did a terrific job this week,” mentioned Irvine Coach Tom Ricci. “We truly had three good practices, our purpose was to maintain fixing errors. We knew Laguna Hills is an effective group and if we could be bodily with Laguna Hills, we could be bodily with anyone as a result of they’re powerful within the trenches and our guys actually stepped up their sport.
“I couldn’t be extra pleased with Sina and Seamus operating the ball. Our protection holding them right down to the wire. Issues are trying up for us, I’m actually excited.”
Irvine held Laguna Hills on its first offensive possession after which took over and drove all the best way to the Hawks 9-yard line on a drive which took up a superb quantity of the primary quarter. Laguna Hills (2-2) thwarted Irvine’s scoring bid.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Vaqueros (3-1) moved forward 7-0 on Hoffman’s 7 yard TD run. The drive took up virtually seven minutes.
Laguna Hills quarterback Jaxson Vanderbeek helped the Hawks drive to the Irvine 11-yard line on the following possession, however a go on fourth down was incomplete.
Irvine then acquired into scoring place on the following drive on a 55-yard go from Saferzadeh to Smith Spivey, which superior the ball to the Laguna Hills 36.
The Vaqueros then moved forward 13-0 on a 5-yard TD go from Saferzadeh to Cole Reidel culminating one other lengthy drive. Irvine was flagged for a celebration penalty which moved the ball again on the conversion. Irvine was unable to transform however went into the locker-room with a cushty lead.
Within the fourth quarter, Saferzadeh scored on a 5-yard TD run and linked with Spivey on a 2-point conversion to place Irvine forward 21-0. Spivey had two catches for 65 yards.
“Smith is a stud, we wished to maintain him on one aspect of the ball however he’s too rattling good, we now have to place him on each side, he doesn’t come off the sector. He’s a terrific child,” Ricci mentioned.
Vanderbeek scored from seven yards out with 7:12 left to chop the result in 21-7.
However Hoffman scored his second TD on a 5-yard run with 2:26 to present the Vaqueros a 28-7 lead. Irvine’s Rene Avila ended Laguna Hills final drive with an interception.
Saferzadeh mentioned the Vaqueros had been motivated after a loss to Portola.
“This victory meant so much to us, I really feel like after we’re at residence, we take satisfaction in our subject,” he mentioned. “Dropping to Portola in week two type of gave us a examine of actuality after we got here off a terrific win vs. Northwood. We needed to notice we don’t wish to lose ever once more. It made us notice we have to execute on all ranges and be bodily and I feel we executed on all of these.”
The Vaqueros quarterback mentioned he goes into each sport figuring out his group can put collectively a strong operating sport.
“I feel that’s all the time our plan,” he mentioned. “We all the time wish to be a extra bodily than the opposite group and we wish to run the ball. There was a distinct mentality on our group after week two, we wanted to bounce again from that loss and push ahead as a result of we’re making an attempt to make a terrific playoff run.”
“We had a terrific evening,” Hoffman added. “Everybody was firing on all cylinders, I had two touchdowns, however actually, the road had two touchdowns, I give all my credit score to the road and the fullbacks and receivers, everybody was blocking nice tonight and I couldn’t have completed it with out them.”
Vanderbeek, the Laguna Hills quarterback, had 9 completions for 52 yards. Senior operating again Khryztopher Entrala led the Hawks dashing for 92 yards on 14 carries.
On the anniversary of 9/11, one of many Vaqueros carried the American flag as his teammates entered the sector earlier than the sport. Followers had been additionally requested earlier than the sport to recollect those that misplaced their lives and had been injured and the primary responders.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports activities Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com