GARDEN GROVE – Pedro Leon rushed for 114 yards and scored five touchdowns to lead Saddleback to a 41-0 defeat of La Quinta in a nonleague game Friday at Bolsa Grande High.
The Roadrunners gained 466 total yards, with Leon, the 155-pound senior running back, contributing 176 yards from scrimmage.
“He’s captain of our team. If he plays well, the team plays well,” Saddleback coach Rob Thompson said of Leon. “With Pedro and these seniors we have, we plan on having a great season.”
The Aztecs (0-1) struggled to maintain a rhythm against the Saddleback defense, which stifled La Quinta’s passing game. Quarterback Gilbert Napoles completed 10 of 20 passes for 72 yards for the Aztecs, who gained 198 yards of total offense.
While Saddleback quarterback Osvaldo Zuno threw 8 of 13 for 193 yards and one touchdown pass.
Zuno threw a strike to receiver Jacob Roawith, who scored on the 21-yard touchdown pass towards the end of the second quarter, lifting the score to 14-0.
But the running game for Saddleback (1-0) worked all night. Among the five touchdowns Leon scored on the night, his longest was a 52-yard run right before the end of the half that made it 21-0.
Leon rushed for 81 yards and three TDs in the first half. His final touchdown of the night came on a 2-yard bruiser late in the third quarter, capping the score 41-0.
Saddleback won four of its five Orange Coast League games last season, earning a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2006.
