PLACENTIA – Gone are the days of old-school, smash-mouth, hat-on-hat football, and Villa Park coach Dusan Ancich believes each fall his team becomes smarter about preserving its collective health.
With Crestview League play still two weeks away, Ancich will continue walking the fine line between knowing when to play physical and knowing when to play smart. Health is always of the utmost importance, this season especially.
Villa Park played well enough early to give its starters much of the second half off Friday, as the Spartans defeated El Dorado, 38-0, at El Dorado High.
“It’s a Catch-22,” Ancich said of his team’s nonleague games, “because you always prepare that week to play your best game. … A lot of preparation is done by our guys in the weight room, eating right, so they can play hard and stay healthy.”
Villa Park quarterback Anthony Navarro finished with a season-high four touchdown passes, and running backs John Stamos and Ramon Chaves combined for close to 100 rushing yards, as the Spartans recovered from what Ancich called “a real bad week of practice.”
“I couldn’t sleep at night,” Ancich said. “But we had a good pregame, and our offense and defense played really well. It was a good night for us.”
Navarro picked apart El Dorado’s soft zone, connecting frequently with receiver Lance Vecchio for large gains downfield. Vecchio finished with six receptions for 96 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught a pair of two-point conversions.
Six of Navarro’s targets finished with a reception, and with its starters in the game, Villa Park (3-2) punted just once.
“Christian (Williams) is a playmaker, and we believe Lance Vecchio is a Division I athlete,” Ancich said. “It’s great seeing his athleticism after the catch.”
Following a fruitless opening possession, Villa Park scored on a 21-yard reception by Vecchio. Stamos then capped his team’s ensuing 12-play drive with a short TD run.
Vecchio intercepted El Dorado quarterback Dominick Martinez on the next play from scrimmage, and then hauled in his second TD grab against the Golden Hawks (0-5). Williams and Matthew Roach scored in the second quarter on receptions of 10 and 3 yards, respectively, and the Spartans led, 35-0, at halftime.
Martinez completed six of his 13 pass attempts for 49 yards.
Contact the writer: bwhitehead@ocregister.com
