Savanna delivers a blow to Anaheim

ANAHEIM - Stephen Jones said Savanna’s task was a simple one.

“We just had to hit harder than they did,” he said.

Savanna hit hard and hit some big plays, too, to beat Anaheim, 35-21, in an Orange League game Thursday at Glover Stadium.

Savanna (6-1 overall, 2-0 in league) is in first place, with a half-game lead over Western, which plays Magnolia tonight. It was the first loss for Anaheim.

Jones, a senior running back, supplied many of those big plays. He scored on runs of 47 and 65 yards and finished with 195 yards on 13 carries. Dominique Williams, another senior running back, rushed for 142 yards and two touchdowns on 142 yards.

Anaheim senior running back Matt Contreras had a productive game for the Colonists (6-1, 1-1). He rushed for 203 yards on 34 carries.

It was a very run-oriented game. Only 10 passes were thrown, and only three were competed.

The game was tied, 21-21, going into the third quarter. Williams scored on a 65-yard run with 8:13 to go in the period, and Jones scored on his 51-yard run with 3:56 to go in the quarter.

The Rebels shut out the Colonists in the second half. The deepest Anaheim drove into Savanna territory in the half was to the Rebels’ 31-yard line, where the drive was stopped by an interception by Savanna’s A.J. Galuvao.

The scoring got started early. On the opening kickoff, Anaheim’s Jose Varela recovered a fumbled return at Savanna’s 30. After a couple of running plays, including a Contreras gain of 23 yards, Mike Reyes scored on a 4-yard run to put the Colonists on top, 7-0, just 50 seconds into the game.

Savanna responded right away. A 53-yard run by Jones set up a 9-yard touchdown run by  Williams to tie it, 7-7, with 10:43 left in the first quarter.

Ramon Mejia kicked a 26-yard field goal for Anaheim early in the second quarter to give the Colonists a 10-7 lead.

Jones scored on another run, this one for 47 yards, to put the Rebels ahead again, 14-10. Anaheim cut that lead to one on a 27-yard field goal by Mejia.
 
Jones returned the ensuing kickoff 42 yards to Anaheim’s 34, and two plays later Savanna’s De Shawn Miller sprinted up the middle for a 24-yard touchdown run that pushed the Rebels’ lead to 21-13.

Anaheim tied it, 21-21, on a 9-yard touchdown run by Contreras and his two-point conversion run with 21 seconds left in the half.

Savanna plays Magnolia in a league game next Friday at Glover Stadium. Anaheim will play Santa Ana Valley in a league game next Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com