Vaqueros’ Experiment Goes Well

Rancho Alamitos scored seven second-half touchdowns to overcome a 13-point deficit and defeat Santiago, 59-25, Friday in a Garden Grove League game.

The Vaqueros (4-3-1 overall, 2-1-1), who had struggled with their running game all season, unveiled a new twist at Garden Grove High.

“We’ve been [experimenting] with the fly offense, and we’ve struggled so much trying to get a running game going that we just threw it out there,” Rancho Alamitos coach Mike Enright said. “Our passing game had suffered because people were sitting on it, but it looks like we found a way to run.”

The Vaqueros did pick up 169 yards on the ground, but the greatest benefit of the new offense was in freeing up their passing game. Daniel Green completed only seven of 15 passes, but picked up 203 yards and three touchdowns in the air. Maurice Garcia was on the receiving end of two of those scoring passes, finding the end zone twice in a 54-second span of the third quarter to give Rancho Alamitos a 32-19 lead.

Santiago (2-6, 1-4) had little trouble running, as Rudy Rodriguez rushed for 178 yards and Viliamu Taafua 163. The Cavaliers’ passing game accounted for only 20 yards, though, and Garcia and Ikaika Maliga both returned interceptions for touchdowns in the fourth quarter to put the game away.