LA HABRA – After its Orange County-record 47-game league winning streak was stopped last week by Buena Park, La Habra embarked on a new winning stretch, holding on for a 37-27 victory over Fullerton in a Freeway League game Friday night at La Habra High.
The Highlanders (5-4, 3-1) twice held leads of 16 points, only to see the Indians (3-6, 0-4) come back to make it close. Arturo Bravo’s 5-yard touchdown run with a minute and a half remaining closed the gap to 30-27.
La Habra also had to endure enforcement of two major penalties after the touchdown, which led the Indians to kick off at the Highlanders 30-yard line. The onside kick was recovered by La Habra.
Madison Wheeler put to rest any hopes for a Fullerton upset when he raced 91 yards for a touchdown with 69 seconds left. Fullerton took one more shot at the end zone, but an interception spoiled the last-second threat.
La Habra jumped to a 16-0 lead in the first quarter, beginning with Zach Fogel hitting Pervis Henderson with a 25-yard touchdown pass with just over three minutes gone in the game.
Alex Valencia sacked Fullerton quarterback Gavin Klepper in his own end zone to record a safety, followed by a Fogel-to-Prince Ross pass connection of 16 yards for another six points.
Bravo got the Indians on the board with just over two minutes left in the period, racing 48 yards into the end zone. Dylan Nicholson added a 20-yard TD run with 7:39 left in the first half to bring the Indians within two points.
Ross tallied a 9-yard scoring run and Fogel scored on a 16-yard run on fourth down to get the Highlanders to a 30-14 advantage midway through the third quarter.
Wheeler had 157 yards on nine carries for the Highlanders. Bravo led the Indian ground game with 79 yards on 13 attempts.
