Orange sticks to winning formula as it runs over Irvine

IRVINE – The recipe for Orange’s success this season has been to hand the ball off to its great running back corps as often as possible.

The Panthers came into the week averaging over 320 yards rushing per game with six different backs having scored touchdowns. The heavy-running philosophy continued Friday night in the Panthers’ 52-15 nonleague rout over host Irvine.

Orange (4-1), ranked No. 7 in CIF-SS Division 9, finished the game with 389 yards on the ground. The Panthers were led by quarterback Daylen Pedroza, who ran for 175 yards and four touchdowns.

“Daylen ran the ball hard tonight,” Orange coach Robert Pedroza said. “He’s only a sophomore, he’s a stud, very athletic. … It’s nice to see going forward that he can take over games like that.”

The Panthers, defending CIF-SS Division 13 champions, dominated from the opening possession as they put together a 15-play, 6-minute drive that ended with a 14-yard Pedroza TD run.

Orange quarterback Daylen Pedroza talks about his big night. The sophomore ran for 175 yards and 4 TDs in the Panthers 52-15 win over Irvine. @ocvarsity @AthleticsOHS @Orangepantherf1 pic.twitter.com/UqoQcLO9Bb

— Tony Serna Arduino (@TonySerna15) September 22, 2018

After an Irvine punt, Orange proceeded to march 49 yards in seven plays and scored on a 2-yard TD run by Pedroza. A 2-point conversion made it 16-0.

Irvine (1-4) answered with its only scoring drive of the first half. Quarterback Marc Filia hooked up with Lorenzo Bazzani on a 3-yard TD pass. The score was set up by a long reception by Tyson Matthews. The senior got loose on a screen pass and rumbled 19 yards to the Orange 9. Two plays later, Bazzani scored making it 16-7.

Jeremiah Rivera, who finished with 57 yards and a touchdown, punched it in from 8 yards out on Orange’s next drive, giving the Panthers a 22-7 lead.

With 47 seconds left in the half, Irvine managed to use only 22 seconds of the clock on its three-and-out drive. The short possession gave Orange enough time for kicker Nick Guzman to kick a 37-yard field goal as time ran out in the half. The kick gave the Panthers a 25-7 lead going into the locker room.

The Panthers’ ground attack stayed hot in the second half as they scored touchdowns on all four of their possessions – Pedroza on 1- and 15-yard runs, a 3-yard run by Andrew Andrade, and a 10-yard run by Miguel Orendain Jr.

“I liked how physical our offensive line was tonight,” Pedroza said. “They take over football games and they did that tonight, so proud of their effort.”

Filia had a 1-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter that cut the Panthers lead to 39-13. The senior finished with 146 yards through the air and 57 yards on the ground.

Irvine wide receiver Jacob Sears hauled in five passes for 47 yards and Orange running back Dylan Moses added 76 rushing yards. Pedroza finished 7 of 10 for 76 yards.

“Our goal is a championship this year,” Pedroza said. “We have a couple of bumps and bruises we gotta fix before we open up league play next week. … We gotta get better in every aspect and keep moving forward.”

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