ORANGE – Trace Hobbs didn’t score on the play. Had it not been for a penalty, his spectacular run after the catch would have amounted to nothing more than some awesome game tape from Canyon’s 26-10 nonleague victory over Esperanza on Friday at El Modena High.
But what matters is he put forth the effort in the first place, rumbling down the field as the first half wound to a close.
And now that he thinks about it, yes, the totality of that play revealed a lot about the team for which he plays.
Hobbs’ 41-yard reception at the end of the second quarter might have gone for naught. But a roughing-the-passer penalty on Esperanza allotted Canyon one untimed offensive play in the red zone.
With Canyon leading 13-7, Comanches tight end Noah White had a 10-yard touchdown reception that Hobbs said “knocked the wind out of (Esperanza’s) sails.”
Hobbs led all receivers with 138 yards.
“Me, Charlie (Treanor), Jason (Harman), Noah White, Avery Jones, we’ve been playing together since freshman year,” Hobbs said. “We have that chemistry, you know? Days we’ve hung out playing Madden. We all bring different aspects to this offense.”
Canyon quarterback Harman completed passes to six receivers, finishing 15 for 27 for 250 yards. Comanches running back Treanor scored twice and eclipsed the century mark, spelled by Michael Freeman, who ran for 45 yards.
But rather than discuss what his team did right, Canyon coach Mike Ogas broached the penalties, the missed assignments, the rust. Coming off a bye, the Comanches inflicted pain upon themselves, at times playing “like a team that hadn’t played in a week,” Ogas said.
Never mind the mistakes, Canyon’s defense halted what to this point has been an outstanding rushing offense. Esperanza running back Patrick Campos ran for only 43 yards, stuffed several times behind the line of scrimmage by Jones, Blake Suttle and Erick Quintana.
“Ugly, but I’m glad we won,” Ogas said. “You enjoy wins whether they’re by 40 or by 2. It wasn’t pretty, but we’ll clean things up this week. A win is a win, and you have to enjoy every one.”
Contact the writer: bwhitehead@ocregister.com
