DANA POINT – Garden Grove coach Ricardo Cepeda had reason to be fired up after Friday night’s victory over Dana Hills.
Playing a Division 2 opponent, the Argonauts secondary picked off Dolphins quarterback Cole Wilber four times – including a potential tying two-point conversion – and Garden Grove held on for a 14-12 nonleague victory at Dana Hills High.
Senior cornerback Austen Christian undercut an out route, picking off Wilber’s pass in the end zone to help the Argonauts maintain the 2-point lead with 4:54 left to play.
“It was just clutch,” Christian said. “I can’t do it without my defense, they stepped up tonight.”
Offensively, the Argonauts were led by quarterback Alejandro Ceja and running back Jordan Antunez, who combined for 134 rushing yards.
Garden Grove (3-1) took the lead in the second quarter after an interception by Daniel Orellana set up a 61-yard drive and a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Ceja, who rushed for 86 yards.
The quarterback extended the lead to 14-3 in the third quarter with a five-yard TD run.
“You have to account for both guys,” Cepeda said. “We run that option … we’re getting better every week.”
Dana Hills (1-4) scored first with a 44-yard field goal by Brendan Villacreses. He added a 21-yarder in the third quarter to reduce the deficit to 14-6.
Connor McCloud, who rushed for 92 yards, brought the Dolphins within two points with a 24-yard touchdown run that set up Christian’s big play.
“Hats off to them for playing up in a game that challenged them,” Dana Hills coach Todd Rusinkovich said. “They rose to that challenge and we didn’t.”
Contact the writer: npercy@ocregister.com
