LA HABRA — The La Habra football team reversed a pair of negative trends in its season-opening game against Upland on Friday night.
Led by a stellar effort from quarterback D.J. Mitchell and two defensive touchdowns, the Highlanders defeated the visiting Scotts 34-20.
The Highlanders (1-0) had lost four in a row against Upland (0-1) the past four seasons with all those defeats coming in season openers.
“This is our first time beating them at home,” said Mitchell, who was on the varsity squad the past two seasons when the Highlanders lost both contests. “I’m just so excited for what this team can be.”
Mitchell, who is the Highlanders full time starting quarterback after platooning at the position last season, completed 12 of 14 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns in the first half alone and finished with 198 yards for the game.
La Habra was ahead 14-0 in the second quarter, but the Scotts were driving.
On a third-and-2 from the La Habra 22, linebacker Noah Barajas ripped the ball from the grip of the running back on a run up the middle and returned the fumble 79 yards for a touchdown.
With 12 seconds left in the first half, La Habra was ahead 28-7 when the Scotts attempted a pass that would have put them inside the Highlanders 20, but the ball was intercepted by Nick Reza, who returned the pic for an 84-yard touchdown as time ran out.
“I just read the play and as soon as the ball was thrown,” Reza said. “It was just like slow motion. As soon as I caught it, I saw green grass and went for it. I saw the running back and one of the linemen coming. I was like all right I got to make a cut. I used to play running back so it worked out and got the touchdown.”
But as well as the Highlanders played in the first half, they were shut out in the second half and came within a play or two of letting the Scotts right back in the game.
“As many good plays as we made, we made an equal amount of just bonehead plays,” said La Habra coach Frank Mazzotta, who is in his 28th season as the Highlanders head coach. “We’ve got to clean that up.””
Upland’s six-foot, 200-pound quarterback Lequand Jackson was a force through the ground and through the air, playing a role in all three of the Scotts’ touchdowns.
Jackson ran for 58 yards and two touchdowns and threw for 168 yards and a touchdown.
Jacksons ran for a 15-yard touchdown to get the Scotts to within two touchdowns with nearly four minutes remaining.
But the Scotts committed a penalty on their onside kick attempt after the score, putting the Highlanders in a position to run out the clock.
The Highlanders lost by three points to the Scotts last season, lost 33-0 in 2023, 21-14 in 2022 and 13-0 in 2021.
The teams didn’t play in 2020 due to the coronavirus.
The Highlanders had last defeated the Scotts in 2019, prior to Friday’s victory.