Orange Lutheran turns back JSerra
COSTA MESA — JSerra came out and delivered a solid one-two punch to Orange Lutheran in a Trinity League matchup Friday at Orange Coast College.
The Lancers shook off the blows and delivered a few of their own in escaping with 23-14 victory over the Lions in a contest decided in the final minutes.
“My perspective is that it was a very even game,” Lancers coach Jim Kunau said. “(JSerra) Coach (Jim) Hartigan and his staff and players have done a phenomenal job.”
If not for two bad snaps by JSerra on punts — one resulting in a Lancers touchdown and the other in a safety — the outcome would likely have been different, Kunau said.
“We were flat, and you can’t come out without a lot of emotion,” he said.
The Lions held the Lancers (4-3, 2-0) to negative yardage on their first drive of the game and then came back with a good looking drive themselves.
A 2-yard touchdown run by quarterback Bobby Brown capped an eight-play 62-yard drive that gave JSerra (6-1, 1-1) a 6-0 lead.
The Lancers fumbled on the ensuing possession and the Lions converted the turnover into another score, this one coming on a 32-yard pass from Brown to Jonavaughn Williams.
Orange Lutheran came right back with an 83-yard touchdown run from Damani Wilson to make the score 14-7.
Then JSerra began to struggle
The Lions were in punt formation on a fourth down from their 37 late in the second quarter when the snap sailed far over the head of punter Luis Valentin and rolled to the Lions’ 1.
The Lancers converted to tie the score.
In the third quarter, another JSerra mistake popped up, this time in the form of a fumble inside the red zone on a potential go-ahead drive.
Later, a second bad snap on punt from the end zone resulted in a safety and a 16-14 lead for the Lancers.
Trailing 23-14, Brown led an impressive drive in the game’s final minutes that set up the Lions with a first-and-goal from the 6 with about two minutes left.
The Lancers defense stiffened and JSerra wound up turning the ball over on downs.
Brown completed 11 of 18 passes for 147 yards and a touchdown. He was the Lions’ leading rusher with 49 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.
