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By Zach Cavanagh
Football Stymied on the Road at Eisenhower
The one thing the Dana Hills football team hadn’t been short on this season was offensive output.
The Dolphins picked right up from last season’s record scoring attack to score at least 21 points in each of their first four games. That run came to an end last Friday, Sept. 23, in Rialto.
Dana Hills was held without an offensive touchdown, as the Dolphins fell hard at Eisenhower High School, 41-10.
Dana Hills (3-2) got a 28-yard field goal from junior Deacon Hill in the second quarter and an 82-yard kickoff return touchdown from junior Cael Vincent in the third quarter, but Eisenhower (5-0) remained in total control. The Eagles led, 14-3, at halftime and pulled away with 27 points in the second half.
While senior running back Christian Guarascio remains the Orange County rushing leader by 150 yards, his streak of 200-yard games to open the season was halted in a significant way. Guarascio ran for only 46 yards on 16 carries
Senior quarterback Connor Vernon completed just 8 of 21 passes for 114 yards and an interception. Junior receiver Chase Berry caught three passes for 32 yards, and freshman James Leicester caught one pass for 43 yards.
Defensively, junior Dominic Barto led the way with 11 total tackles and eight solo tackles. Senior Kai Ferguson recorded a sack. Junior Cooper Walsh blocked a field goal.
Dana Hills looks to get back on track with a return to Pacific Coast Conference play, as the Dolphins host Beckman (2-3) on Friday, Sept. 30. Last season, the Dolphins shut out Beckman, 42-0.
Beckman has already equaled its win total from last season. The Patriots have done so with a commitment to the ground game. Senior Jonathan Sandoval is averaging 145 yards per game and nearly nine yards per carry with eight touchdowns in five games.
A physical, run-focused game could be just what the Dolphins, especially Guarascio, need to bounce back into the win column.
CIF-SS Rankings and Notes
The Dana Hills boys water polo team is ranked No. 3 in CIF-SS Division 2, as the Dolphins opened league play this week. Dana Hills won its South Coast League opener at El Toro, 15-4, on Tuesday, Sept. 27. The Dolphins continued league play on Thursday, Sept. 29, at home against Capistrano Valley, but results were not available at press time. Dana Hills next hosts a fight for the top of the league with its fiercest rival, San Clemente, on Tuesday, Oct. 4. San Clemente is ranked No. 1 in Division 2.
A proposal to add girls flag football as a CIF-SS fall sport was passed on a vote by the CIF-SS Council on Thursday, Sept. 29. The vote by league representatives puts girls flag football on the desk of the CIF State Council for reading in October and voting in February. Full passage would put the sport on the calendar for next school year in 2023.
Zach Cavanagh
Zach Cavanagh is the sports editor for Picket Fence Media. Zach is a multiple California Journalism Award winner and has covered sports in Orange County since 2013. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @ZachCav and follow our sports coverage on Twitter @SouthOCSports. Email at zcavanagh@picketfencemedia.com.
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