COSTA MESA — Four power outages and a long injury delay didn’t slow down the Orange Lutheran football team on Friday night.
The Lancers took care of business in the Trinity League matchup against JSerra with a 23-17 victory at Orange Coast College.
“We had some sudden changes tonight, so I was really proud of the resilience of our guys and how adaptable they were with unique situations,” Orange Lutheran coach Rod Sherman said.
Orange Lutheran (5-2, 1-1) followed both of JSerra’s touchdowns with touchdowns of their own to retake the lead each time, and then ran out the final 4:30 of the game with another impressive drive.
“Our kids have learned how to win and we can run out the clock,” Sherman said.
JSerra (5-2, 0-2) took its final lead, 14-10, on a 7-yard touchdown catch by Jarod Sersansie with 7:06 left in the third quarter.
The Lancers took the ensuing kickoff and moved the ball 80 yards on 15 plays, taking a 16-14 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Steve Chavez with 1:18 left in the third quarter.
JSerra sophomore running back William Fredericksen was injured with 1:09 left in the third quarter and the game was delayed about 30 minutes while Fredericksen was treated for an apparent neck injury and taken away in an ambulance.
The Lancers extended their lead to 23-14 on a 6-yard touchdown catch by AJ Ia, his second of the game, with 5:56 left in the game.
Carter Meza booted a 29-yard field goal with 4:30 remaining to cut it to 23-17, but JSerra would not get the ball back.
Chavez helped move the chains in the second half by rushing for 100 of his 105 yards and scoring a touchdown.
“We’re a better team in the second half,” Chavez said. “We’ve shown that all year.”
Both teams went three-and-out on their opening drives before JSerra capitalized on its second possession, despite two sacks on Ryan Hopkins.
A 24-yard back-shoulder catch by Sersansie put the ball inside the Orange Lutheran 5 and tight end Axel Olander scored two plays later on a 3-yard touchdown catch, just his third reception of the season, off a play-action to give the Lions a 7-0 lead with 4:34 left in the first quarter.
Orange Lutheran answered with a 12-play 83-yard drive that was capped by an 8-yard touchdown throw from TJ Lateef to Ia, tying the score 7-7 with 10:50 left in the first half.
Lateef kept the drive alive with a 14-yard run on third-and-11 near midfield.
The Lancers then forced the first turnover of the game after putting pressure on Hopkins and his deep throw came up short of his target, allowing Benjamin Alefaio to intercept the pass.
That led to a 43-yard field goal by Aiden Migirdichian with 7:13 left in the first half, giving the Lancers a 10-7 lead. Migirdichian improved to 5-for-5 on field goals this season.
The Lancers tried to add to their lead just before halftime, but sophomore cornerback Travis Jeffrey intercepted a pass in the end zone to kill the drive.
“JSerra is an outstanding team,” Sherman said. “Coach (Victor) Santa Cruz does an exceptional job, so any Trinity League win is a win to celebrate and enjoy.”
