SANTA ANA — Junior Ortega rushed for 159 yards and a touchdown and helped Santiago maintain possession over the final six minutes to secure a 17-14 victory Thursday night against Santa Ana at Santa Ana Stadium.
The Cavaliers (4-0) saw their nine-point halftime lead trimmed to three with 3 minutes, 18 seconds left in the third quarter and had their backs to the wall early in the fourth when the Saints (1-2) marched inside the Santiago 20, but Gustavo Lucero intercepted a pass in the end zone to end the threat.
The Saints would get the ball back just once more, but did not earn a first down before punting the ball back to the Cavaliers midway through the final quarter.
The Saints also committed a turnover on their first offensive play as the snap sailed over the head of quarterback Jonathan Briseno and Nathan Garcia recovered at the Saints 7. Two plays later, Ortega scored on a 4-yard burst for a 7-0 lead.
Fabian Martinez scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns and Rafael Aldaco ran in the two-point conversion to cut the deficit to 10-8 with 2:16 left in the first half.
The Cavaliers still had enough time to extend their lead as sophomore Dominick Smith broke several tackles en route to a 47-yard touchdown run with 32 seconds remaining in the half, giving Santiago a 17-8 lead.
