ORANGE – Why Villa Park was so very happy Friday night was obvious.
One week after losing by seven touchdowns at Mater Dei, the Spartans came home and came from behind to snatch a 31-26 win away from Long Beach Cabrillo at El Modena High. And they did it despite losing a 12-point lead.
The Spartans (1-1) emerged with the win after Ramon Chaves’ 1-yard touchdown run with 1:07 left in the game. The Jaguars (0-3) led, 26-25, and were in position to control their fate until Chaves sacked standout Cabrillo quarterback Michael Lovett III on a third-and-long play with 4:40 remaining.
Cabrillo’s punt on fourth down traveled only 15 yards to the Jaguars 27, positioning Villa Park well for its final surge.
The host Spartans showed little flare and executed basic chores to achieve their 25-13 lead that looked fairly commanding in the third quarter.
In formations that never lined up more than one wide receiver, they rushed for 115 yards on 24 attempts and had three touchdowns by power running back John Stamos. No turnovers were forced defensively, but Villa Park recovered valiantly after being stressed by Lovett’s 102 rushing yards in the first half.
The Spartans also had a 52-yard scoring reception in the second quarter by tight end Christian Williams, who took quarterback Anthony Navarro’s pass 30 yards into the end zone. Dominique Leggett propelled Cabrillo’s second-half comeback with 84 of his total 105 yards rushing and a 21-yard scoring carry in the fourth quarter.
