Savanna scores ‘big victory'

ANAHEIM — The Savanna Rebels were picked to finish fifth in the Orange League in the coaches' preseason poll.

However, the Rebels might be ready to trade in the label of pretender for title contender after outlasting league favorite Western, 53-42, on Thursday night at Glover Stadium.

Savanna quarterback Jeremiah Rideaux scored five rushing touchdowns and passed for another to lead the host Rebels (5-2, 2-0) to the victory, their first over Western (1-6, 1-1) in at least 12 years.

Rideaux scored on runs of 46, 3, 13, 6 and 21 yards.

“We got our heads into the game and cut down on our mistakes and started to make plays,” Rideaux said. “This is a big victory for us.”

Behind the play of Rideaux, the Rebels scored 26 consecutive points in the second half to overcome a 35-21 deficit.

Savanna capitalized on three Western turnovers in the second half, scoring touchdowns on each occasion.

“My coach (Roger Whelan) talked to me at halftime about leading my team,” Rideaux said. “I told him that I would do that. We came out and made plays and we came out on top.”

He gained 149 yards on the ground on 27 carries, not a bad performance for someone who had been battling the flu all week.

Whelan said that running back Donald Livingston was sick as well during the week.

“I kept asking them the last couple of days, how much you got in the tank and they kept saying that they felt better every day,” Whelan said. “I didn’t know if we were going to have them. We were a little shorthanded … I guess we won the battle of attrition.”

Savanna took its first lead of the game, 40-35, with 1:41 left in the third quarter, on a 24-yard touchdown run by Livingston.

Western responded with a 64-yard touchdown run by Theo Okai that cut the deficit to 47-42. After the Pioneers forced the Rebels to punt, Western turned the ball back over on a bad quarterback-running back handoff, giving the Rebels possession on the Western 17.

Rideaux put the finishing touches on the game with his 21-yard run.

“I think we deserved this,” Whelan said. “This is a pretty special moment for these kids.”

“We talked all week long about getting 48 minutes out of them. We didn’t do that tonight, but we did it when we had to ... I think I age a few years.”

Okai rushed for 152 yards and five touchdowns for the Pioneers.

Western middle linebacker Travis Trujillo was taken off the field on a stretcher at the end of the game and taken to UCI Medical Center with a concussion, Coach Toby Howell said.