COSTA MESA - As Orange Lutheran coach Jim  Kunau attributed the narrow victory to the Lancers' toughness, he called for  Jeremiah Pemasa to get up off one knee and stand up in front of his teammates.

Pemasa, the senior linebacker, suffered a stinger near his left shoulder in the first half but returned in the second. His late-fourth quarter interception all-but sealed the Lancers' 20-13 victory over North High of Riverside on Friday at Orange Coast College.

"We needed our defense today, and I felt like I needed to be out  there," said Pemasa, who watched from the sideline as the Lancers' 5-0 halftime  lead turned into a 13-5 deficit after a pair of Lutheran turnovers.

"I saw my defense after the other team scored, and I just wanted  to come out and help my brothers."

Exavier Edwards rushed for 139 yards to lead the Lancers, and  Bobby Wheatley completed 16 of 22 passes for 122 yards.

Lutheran held North to 165 total yards.

"A great effort on defense, led by Jeremiah Pemasa," Kunau said.

Contact the writer: kjay@ocregister.com