ISAAK TOGIA (5) is airborne as he lunges into the end zone to score a touchdown for Pacifica Friday at Monsoor Stadium. Mariners defeated Garden Grove 48-14 (Orange County Tribune photo).
By Jim Tortolano
Pacifica rolled past Garden Grove 48-14 Friday night at Monsoor Stadium in the annual renewal of a football series that goes back over half a century. Led by elusive quarterback Ben Jefferson and powerful running back Isaak Togia, the Mariners improved their record to 4-0, and sent the Argonauts (1-3) into a rare three-game losing streak.
BEN JEFFERSON (7) was a threat on the ground and in the air for Pacifica in the M’s win over Garden Grove (OC Tribune photo).
The M’s owned the first half of the non-league contest and went into the intermission with a 29-0 lead. Grove closed to within 29-14 with a third quarter rally, but the blue-black-and-white didn’t let up, scoring three more second half touchdowns.
“We did all right,” said Pacifica coach Vinnie Lopez. “We could have done better. We let them score a couple of times. We made some mistakes.” Indeed, the M’s helped extend both Argonaut drives with penalties.
Jefferson threw for 194 yards and two scores; he added 138 more on the ground. Togia rushed for 106 yards. Christian Marquez threw for two TDs for the Argonauts, and Dominick Sanchez ran for 58 yards for Grove.
The game ended on somewhat sour note, as some fans, players and others pointed fingers and shouted at the other team. Officials and administrators stepped in to clear the field and calm the situation down.
Some Grove supporters felt the Mariners were running up the score; some from Pacifica felt the Argo defense was manhandling Jefferson a little too aggressively.
“It’s just a cross-town rivalry,” said Lopez.
Pacifica will close out its pre-league schedule next Friday hosting Aliso Niguel at Bolsa Grande Stadium. Garden Grove has a week off and will resume action on Sept. 29 hosting Laguna Hills.
DOMINIK SANCHEZ (27) was a workhorse for the Argonauts against Pacifica Friday night (OC Tribune photo).
Friday night football scores
- Pacifica 48, Garden Grove 14: Ben Jefferson and Isaak Togia led the Mariners to their fourth straight win.
- La Quinta 56, Loara 13: The Aztecs improved to 3-0 with this one-sided victory
- Edison 28, San Juan Hills 0: Griffin O’Connor passed for 180 yards and a TD for the Chargers. Hunter Griggs ran for two scores as EHS improved to 3-1.
- Century 53, Bolsa Grande 27: The Matadors scored three second half touchdowns but it wasn’t enough to keep from dropping to 1-3.
- Santa Ana 28, Marina 21: Ian Green ran for 112 yards and a TD, and passing for a score, but the Vikings lost and fell to 2-2.
- Huntington Beach 29, Wilson/Long Beach 28 (overtime): A blocked extra point enabled the Oilers to beat the Bruins and post their first win of 2017.
- Orange 26, Laguna Beach 19: Jason Wilkinson hit Jordan Schmidt on a 40-yard TD pass as the Panthers (3-0) rallied to defeat the Breakers and remain undefeated.
More results and details will be posted as they become available.