SANTA ANA — Lupe Lopez rushed for 110 yards on 10 carries and scored four touchdowns Thursday night as Magnolia routed Santa Ana Valley, 35-7, to keep their Orange League playoff hopes alive.
The Sentinels (4-5, 2-2) can clinch a postseason berth with a win next week against Century, while the Falcons (5-4, 2-2) must beat first-place Katella next week to reach the postseason.
Magnolia’s defense forced three first-half turnovers and stopped the Falcons on fourth down on another possession to build a 21-0 halftime lead.
Luis Dorado had a big first-half, recovering a fumbled lateral on Santa Ana Valley’s first series and catching a 61-yard touchdown pass with 4.1 seconds left in the half, giving him five catches for 107 yards in the opening 24 minutes.
In between, Lopez scored on touchdown runs of 19 and 54 yards. Santa Ana Valley got on the scoreboard with a touchdown midway through the third quarter, but Lopez came right back with a 14-yard touchdown run to push the lead back to 21 points.
