YORBA LINDA – He had seen it before.
This time, in the fourth quarter, his team trailing by six points, Yorba Linda cornerback Nick Langseth was ready.
Langseth slipped in front of the intended receiver, reached up, caught the football and returned the interception 59 yards for a touchdown.
That tied the score, and Cole Magliano’s kick for the extra point was the difference Thursday in Yorba Linda’s 19-18 win over El Modena at Yorba Linda High.
The Mustangs improved to 2-3. They beat El Dorado last week. Their win over Troy was turned into a forfeit loss for using an ineligible player.
El Modena (3-2) has lost one-point games in consecutive weeks. The Vanguards lost to Villa Park, 10-9, last week.
The Vanguards had an 18-12 lead and were at midfield when disaster struck for them. It was third down and 8 at the Mustangs’ 49. Having advanced that far on seven running plays, El Modena took a bit of a risk to try to get the first down.
Langseth had been beaten on down-and-out routes on his side a couple of times earlier. He expected something similar, and the quarterback’s eyes confirmed his expecations.
“I saw the quarterback looking my way,” Langseth said. “It all worked out.”
Langseth never broke stride as he picked off the pass then sprinted along the right sideline in front of the El Modena bench for the touchdown.
El Modena’s defense made two great third-down stops to get the ball to its offense, but Yorba Linda’s defense made enough plays to thwart the effort.
“My hat’s off to El Modena,” Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey said. “They played hard and won the second half. Somehow, we found a way to win the game.”
Yorba Linda running back Mason Winter, one of many juniors in the starting lineup, rushed for 127 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries.
El Modena running back Kenneth Lamb rushed for 104 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries. Greg Lamb had nine receptions for 83 yards for the Vanguards.
El Modena took a 3-0 lead in the first quarter on a 26-yard field goal by Jordy Cruz. Winter scored on two 1-yard runs in the second quarter. The Mustangs failed to convert an extra-point kick and a run for two points, leaving them with a 12-3 halftime lead.
The Vanguards scored touchdowns in the third quarter on an 8-yard run by quarterback Garrett Gramm and a 41-yard run by Kenneth Lamb, with a two-point conversion pass from Gramm to Juan Hernandez giving them the 18-12 lead.
El Modena plays a nonleague home game against the Crestview League’s Esperanza next Friday.
Yorba Linda plays a nonleague game at the North Hills League’s Brea Olinda next Friday.
Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com
