ORANGE – After scraping by on a late field goal last week, no one on Villa Park’s football team would be likely to tell you that its undefeated season has been perfect.
But Friday night’s effort might have been as close to perfection as the Spartans can get.
Nick Sipe led Villa Park’s high-octane attack as the Spartans defeated El Dorado, 58-10, in a nonleague game at El Modena High.
Sipe threw for 290 yards and five touchdowns. Jake Ruiz had six catches for 105 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Spartans’ receiving corp.
The Spartans (5-0) managed just 10 points in their game against El Modena a week ago, and they were on a mission to rectify their offensive woes early on. Villa Park scored 24 points in the first quarter on a night in which every possession it had ended in a touchdown.
“We had a lot to prove to ourselves,” Spartans coach Dusan Ancich said. “The game last week, as frustrating as it was, was something that we needed to go through.”
All but one of Sipe’s 13 completions went for at least 10 yards. He connected with Ruiz, Ramon Chaves, and Matt Roach for touchdowns in the opening quarter.
“Our game plan was to throw the ball,” Sipe said. “We came out and executed, got a lot of time from the (offensive) line, and our receivers made plays.”
After falling behind, Connor Leech provided a highlight-reel play for the Golden Hawks (0-5) when he went vertical for El Dorado’s only touchdown. Leech battled two defenders in the air, coming down with the catch before trotting into the end zone for a 32-yard score from Austin Shear.
The Spartans continued to pour it on. Chaves’ second touchdown, a 15-yard run, made it 38-7.
Ruiz scored his third touchdown in the second half, with the Spartans adding scores from John Stamos and Tanner Schulz.
The pursuit of perfection can be a distraction for some, but Ancich doesn’t believe that will be an issue for his team with a rival Canyon up next.
“It’s a short week,” Ancich said. “I don’t care what it is, it’s a rival game, so I don’t think we’ll have a problem motivating our guys.”
