Saddleback-Santa Ana game ends in brawl (with video)

SANTA ANA - There might not be a bigger rivalry in Orange County high school sports than the one that exists between Saddleback and Santa Ana.

On Wednesday afternoon at Santa Ana Stadium, tempers between the rivals reached a boiling point in a Golden West League boys soccer match.

In the 68th minute of the game with Saddleback ahead, 4-0, a brawl broke out that resulted in players throwing punches and knocking others to the ground. Both coaching staffs rushed to the scene and with the help of a security guard, they were able to restore order within a couple of minutes.

After talking to the coaches, the referee decided to call the game at that point, giving Saddleback a 4-0 victory.

However, soon after the brawl was stopped on the field, a few water bottles were thrown in the stands and a fight broke out in front of one of the stadium's tunnels.

Security personnel was quick to arrive on the scene, and fans were ordered to leave. Santa Ana police also arrived on the scene at this point.

(Editor's note: Reporter Damian Dottore has video of the incident. He also writes a personal account of what he saw and what he thinks should be done in terms of punishment.)  

"It is unfortunate. I don't preach that," Saddleback coach Mel Silva said. "I have never had that happen to me in all the time that I have been here. I am not going to say that we were angels. There was just too much contact in the game.

"Having said that, you have to keep you emotions in check, and we tried pulling kids out and talking to them. This rivalry is deep."

The intensity of the rivalry was clear in the 50th minute when Saddleback's Erick Zuniga and Santa Ana's Carlos Hernandez both received red cards for pushing and shoving. After that incident, the referee handed out yellow cards for seemingly every tackle, apparently in an effor to keep the game under control.

But the physical play and fouls didn't stop, and soon the play got out of hand.  

Santa Ana coach Joe Penaflor said he will take disciplinary action against some of his players.

"We have never had anything like that happen before. Kids will get tangled up and get their red cards, but nothing like that," said an emotional Penaflor, who appeared to be on the verge of tears at times after the game.

"I am upset. Some of the kids were frustrated, but we have been in situations like that before and we kept playing. One of the kids didn't want to play, and he won't be playing for us anymore. That is not what I am about or what the program is about. I am disappointed, and there will be repercussions."

In a meeting between the teams earlier this season, no players received a red card and the game finished without incident. Santa Ana won, 2-0.

Since that game, however, the Roadrunners have been impossible to score on. They haven't allowed a goal in 388 minutes, outscoring their opponents, 21-0.

Edward Zapeda finished with two goals and an assist Wednesday. He scored the first goal for the Roadrunners in the sixth minute. He flipped the ball high into the box, it bounced off the right post and ricocheted in.

In the second half, he sent a long free kick toward the Santa Ana goal, right to where Omar Laris was waiting. He headed it in, giving him seven goals in the last five games.

"They brought a lot of intensity the last time, and we didn't. Today, we were both intense," Silva said. "There is a lot of respect between the two teams, and what happened today is an isolated incident."

Contact the writer: ddottore@ocregister.com