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Orange senior defensive back Jonathan Smith Jr. is consoled by Panthers’ head coach Robert Pedroza after the CIF Division 6 Championship game. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
San Jacinto High School’s football team scored four touchdowns in the second-half to defeat Orange 42-15, capturing the CIF Division 6 championship Friday night at Fred Kelly Stadium.
The Tigers (12-2) scored more than 40 points for the 11th time this season and captured the school’s first CIF football title. The Panthers were seeking their fourth title but had a 10-game winning streak snapped.
San Jacinto’s quarterback Dereun Dortch threw four touchdowns passes and ran for two TDs and the Tigers defense completely shut down Orange in the second-half to earn the victory.
“I’m speechless,” said Tigers Coach Aric Galliano. “This win means so much to our school, our community and our fans. All I can tell you that Dortch is a warrior and Dillon Gresham is phenomenal.”
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
Dortch tossed TD passes of 18, 18, 10 and 45 yards and rushed for another 70 yards and two TDs. The duo of Dortch and Gresham performances in the second-half was the key to San Jacinto’s win. Gresham, a wide receiver caught seven passes for 207 yards and three touchdowns, two of those in the second-half
Ardwon Morris’ two-yard touchdown run on the final play of the first-half gave the Panthers a 15-14 lead at intermission. However, Orange failed to sustain a consistent offensive attack in the second-half as the Tigers scored on all four of its possessions (in the second-half) to take command.
“We eliminated our first-half mistakes in the second-half,” said Dortch, who has thrown for 2,984 yards and 38 TDs this season.
Dortch threw a 10-yard TD pass to Gresham in the third-quarter as San Jacinto led 21-15 after three periods. The Tigers scored three more times in the final quarter to seal the victory. Dortch ran for two TDs and threw a 45-yard touchdown pass to Gresham in the final quarter to close it out.
“Give San Jacinto credit, my hat is off to them,” said Orange Coach Robert Pedroza. “Their quarterback is very talented and they made big plays when they had to. It’s been a great season and I’m proud of our guys”.
The Panthers trio of Kobe Boykin, Morris and Hype Grand combined to rush for 238 yards, but Orange couldn’t get on track in the second-half. The Panthers best opportunity to score in the second-half came late in the third-quarter when Grand’s fourth-down pass fell incomplete in the end zone from the Tigers 15-yard line.
“We wanted to win bad but we didn’t block well enough and we didn’t apply enough pressure, that was the difference,” said Morris.
After a scoreless first quarter, both offenses got into gear in the second-quarter as the teams combined to score four touchdowns.
Early in the second quarter, San Jacinto took a 7-0 lead on a 18-yard TD pass from Dortch to Vincent Holmes. The Panthers quickly countered with an eight-play, 59-yard scoring drive to take the lead. Grand capped the drive with a 12-yard TD run and then he added a 2-point conversion, giving Orange an 8-7 lead at the 8:11 mark.
The Tigers retook the lead, 14-8, late in the first-half as they completed a five-play, 76-yard drive with a 18-yard TD pass from Dortch to Gresham on a fourth-down play.
Orange outgained the Tigers 210-165 in the first-half.
The Panthers played without junior defensive tackle Antowne Hebrard, who is currently battling Leukemia, according to Pedroza. The Orange players all wore a No. 55 sticker (Hebrard’s number) on their helmet as a tribute. The team has been communicating with Hebrard this week and spoke with him during Friday’s pre-game. The Panthers also had Bebrard’s jersey hanging on the sideline during the game.
—Tom Connolly, For OC Sports Zone
