Esperanza the dominant force this time

PLACENTIA - Esperanza's football team bounced back from a lopsided season-opening defeat to post its own one-sided victory Thursday night.

Quarterback Drew Huusfeldt tossed two touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Aztecs past L.A. Jordan, 51-12, in a nonleague game at Valencia.

Hayden Pierce also caught a 62-yard touchdown pass and made a key defensive play for Esperanza (1-1), which opened with a 35-3 loss at Santiago of Corona.

"(We) definitely needed it," Esperanza coach Greg Kemp said of the victory, his first since taking over for Bill Pendleton.

Pierce sparked the Aztecs in the second quarter by breaking up a pass over the middle by delivering a big hit from his safety position.

The play helped stopped a drive by Jordan (1-1), which turned the ball over on downs at Esperanza's 38.

On the next play, Huusfeldt connected with Pierce for a 62-yard scoring pass as the Aztecs took a 21-6 lead with 2:22 left in the first half.

"That big hit woke us up," Kemp said.

Esperanza's ground attack featured several backs and finished with 265 yards and five touchdowns.

Dustin Derieg scored on runs of 2 and 26 yards while C.J. Milligan capped his 26-yard touchdown run in the third quarter by diving into the end zone.

"I was real happy with our running game," Kemp said.

Huusfeldt rushed for 34 yards but also completed 7 of 9 passes for 131 yards.

Esperanza's defense played well. Early in the third, the Aztecs pressured quarterback Jackyle Cooper into an intentional grounding penalty on a pass attempt from his end zone, resulting in a safety and a 23-6 lead.

Esperanza's defense also contained the shifty Deshawn Beck. The senior rushed for 60 yards and had five receptions for 52 yards.

The Aztecs play at Mira Costa next Thursday.