ORANGE — El Modena doesn’t have the talent that some teams field in the Delta League, but the Vanguards don’t lack discipline.
That was the difference on Friday night against Western, as the Vanguards benefitted from one mistake after another by the Pioneers to rally from a seven-point halftime deficit and hold on for a 28-21 victory at El Modena High.
“We preach discipline all four years the boys are in the program, so it’s just part of our culture,” said Matt Mitchell, who is in his 10th season as head coach at El Modena. “The way we play, the kids buy into it, so it’s a good thing.”
The Vanguards (4-3, 2-0) came out of halftime trailing 14-7 and faced a third-and-16 from their own 39 on their first drive when quarterback Ethan Sorenson found wide receiver Samuel Jackett open over the middle for a 53-yard gain.
Two plays later, Sorenson scored one of his four rushing touchdowns to tie the score 14-14.
“I’m not afraid of the contact,” Sorenson said. “I like it, and I’m not afraid to give it out either.”
El Modena quickly got the ball back and moved down field with help from an offsides call and an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, scoring again on an 8-yard touchdown run by Sorenson for a 21-14 lead with 2:53 left in the third quarter.
After giving up 211 total yards in the first half, the Vanguards held Western to 11 total yards in the third quarter.
Two roughing the passer penalties on the Pioneers led to another 8-yard touchdown run by Sorenson that stretched the lead to 28-14 with 6:46 left in the game.
“We saw some stuff on film, we kind of expected it,” Mitchell said of the penalties. “We prepared the guys not to respond to any of that stuff.”
Western (4-3, 0-2) came into the game with eight interceptions on the season and the Pioneers added two more in the first half to help them to the 14-7 lead.
The Pioneers were stopped on downs on their opening drive and then snared an interception on fourth down on El Modena’s first possession.
Western running back Skylar Lendsey, a UNLV commit, then had a 28-yard reception and a 28-yard run on the second drive before Chance Thomas hit Bunchie Young with a 12-yard touchdown pass to give the Pioneers a 7-0 lead with 6:37 left in the opening quarter.
The Vanguards scored a touchdown on their second drive as well.
El Modena lined up for a 27-yard field goal on fourth-and-4, but Western jumped offsides for the third time on the drive, giving the Vanguards first down at the 5-yard line.
Two plays later, quarterback Sorenson scored on a 3-yard run on the first play of the second quarter to tie it 7-7.
Ayden Payne then snatched the second interception of the first half for the Pioneers and they cashed in on that one too as Lendsey scored on a 52-yard run, weaving through the defense and losing part of his jersey along the way to give Western a 14-7 lead with 4:57 left in the first half.
“We had a little rough start to the offense, not our usual,” Sorenson said. “At halftime, all the guys had my back and we changed the momentum. We talked about what we had to do and we got the job done. Everyone was on that ship and we sailed it together.”