TORRANCE – After winning its season opener last week behind the powerful running of Andre Cotton, Aliso Niguel tried to do it again Friday night.
Cotton scored two touchdowns and gained 80 yards on 10 carries, and he caught two passes for 40 yards, but the Wolverines wound up falling to North Torrance, 33-19, at North Torrance High.
“We just got to come out harder next time and come out and get first punch,” Cotton said. “We made too many small mistakes. We just got to start doing the small things right. We have a tough one next week at Tustin, and we just got to come out and play hard against them right away.”
After North (1-1) started quickly, scoring on a 31-yard run by Malik Welch, the Wolverines bounced right back. Tyler Jones caught a 10-yard touchdown pass from Nate Sorenson to tie the score at 7.
Late in the first quarter Welch again broke free this time from 18 yards out to put North back up 13-7.
Cotton helped Aliso Niguel tie the score at 13 with a 4-yard touchdown run.
North quarterback Glenn Searcy led North down the field again and helped the Saxons take the lead back, 19-13, with a 51-yard scoring strike to wide receiver J.J. Belmontes.
After Aliso Niguel had a field goal blocked, North drove down the field again. Galloway broke loose for a 45-yard touchdown run that extended North’s lead to 26-13 at the half.
In the third quarter, Cotton struck again. He took a screen pass from Sorenson for 38 yards into the end zone, cutting North’s lead 26-19 with 6:24 left in the third quarter.
After the Wolverdines stopped North on defense, Aliso Niguel’s Tyler Jones ran a punt back 54 yards for an apparent tying touchdown, but it was called back on a holding penalty.
Searcy later scored on a 3-yard run to give North more breathing room, 33-19, with 9:36 to play. Aliso Niguel get no closer and North had the victory.
Sorenson finished the game going 7 for 11 throwing for 132 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Tommy Matossian also had five catches for 75 yards for Aliso Niguel.
