El Modena in Full Control Against Sunny Hills
ORANGE — There were moments Friday during El Modena’s 24-0 victory over Sunny Hills, when the Vanguards looked so good, so dominant, that quarterback Jose Prado just had to admire the perfection.
“We were so relaxed and almost everything seemed easy,” Prado said. “I’ve never had that feeling before. It was weird.”
Prado will take that eerie feeling as many times as he can get it.
The Vanguards took control from the first snap at El Modena. The offense, with a rebuilt line, moved almost at will and the defense smothered the Lancers.
It was a performance that will be replayed with pride this week in the El Modena film room. And, in the middle of it all was Prado, who completed 15 of 19 passes for 244 yards and a touchdown.
The senior quarterback pushed and prodded the offense up and down the field. He took the Vanguards on two time-consuming touchdown drives in the first half.
Then, just to show that the El Modena offense had range, Prado threw a 47-yard touchdown pass in the final second of the half.
“Jose did some things tonight I couldn’t believe,” Coach Bill Backstrom said. “He did some stuff scrambling that you just can’t coach. He’s dangerous when he improvises.”
Prado completed nine of 11 passes for 166 yards in the first half. Along the way, he directed drives of 12 and 16 plays, as the Vanguards monopolized the football.
On its first possession, El Modena (2-0) drove 59 yards, taking up 6 minutes 9 seconds. James Clarkston scored on a six-yard run.
The next time they had the ball, the Vanguards went 80 yards and took another 6:01 off the clock. Clarkston scored again, this time on a two-yard run.
Prado made the key plays on both drives, completing third-down passes on the run to maintain possession.
“I got on a roll,” Prado said.
The Vanguards’ offense was so effective that Sunny Hills (0-2) ran only 13 plays and had only 26 yards.
Prado closed the half by dropping back, drifting to his left, then throwing a strike to Jay Montano for a 47-yard touchdown. Montano finished with five receptions for 129 yards.
“He wasn’t the No. 1 receiver,” Prado said. “All of sudden I spotted him. I was kind of surprised.”
El Modena finished with 260 total yards. Tom Mazzone gained 63 yards rushing.
The Lancers were held to 128 yards and turned the ball over twice.
“I really can’t think of much we did wrong,” Backstrom said. “We were balanced and we played good defense.”
