Westminster falls to Norwalk

WESTMINSTER - Westminster kept up with Norwalk’s high-powered running attack in the first half.

But not in the second.

Elijhaa Penny rushed for 331 yards and six touchdowns, including the game’s final five scores, as Norwalk uprooted host Westminster, 64-21, in a CIF-SS Southern Section quarterfinal playoff game on Friday.

The Lancers (11-1) advance to the semifinals, where they will host Garden Grove. Norwalk defeated Garden Grove in the playoffs last year and reached the semifinals, but lost to eventual champion Laguna Hills.

Westminster (7-5) lost in the second round of the playoffs for the fifth time in six seasons.

“I’m proud of the kids,” Westminster coach Ted McMillen said. “We’ve always played tough second round games, and against Norwalk, you’ve just got to keep going.”

McMillen’s Lions trailed, 35-21, at halftime but had the ball to start the half. But a punt and an interception on their first two second-half possessions stifled hopes of a comeback.

Penny then tore off touchdown runs of 25, 70, 41, and 80 yards in the game’s final 14 minutes to put Westminster away.

“We had our chances to come back, to make it a better game,” McMillen said. “We felt like we had to keep scoring to stay in the game.”

Playing without injured running back Jose Ortiz, the Lions turned to Oscar Beltran, who rushed for 212 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Beltran’s 46-yard touchdown run with 3:02 left in the first half pulled Westminster to within 28-21.

But Penny capped a 12-play, 65-yard drive with a 5-yard run with 19 seconds left to give Norwalk a 35-21 lead. The Lancers would ultimately rush for 555 yards on 50 carries and punted only once.

Westminster racked up 437 yards of offense, but turned the ball over three times and did not score after halftime.

“The first half, our guys weren’t wrapping up on tackles,” Norwalk coach Jesse Ceniceros said.

 “We made that mental adjustment at halftime, and we began playing smart.”