Valencia Extends Sunny Hills’ Skid to 13

It was a rough homecoming--and another tough night--for first-year Sunny Hills Coach David Fenstermaker.

Fenstermaker, 26, a graduate of Valencia who spent all of his coaching career until this season as an assistant at his alma mater, is still looking for his first victory as a head coach after Valencia rallied for a 21-13 victory Thursday.

Sunny Hills (0-5) has lost 13 consecutive games.

“It’s the same story again,” said Fenstermaker, whose team reached double-figure scoring for the first time this year. “I thought we played better, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

Backup running back Grant Dhenin, who had 165 yards this season, rushed 29 times for 212 yards for Valencia (3-2). Scott Parker, Valencia’s leading rusher, scored twice on one-yard runs.

The Tigers also held Sunny Hills to 22 yards rushing.

Nonetheless, Fenstermaker’s former boss, Valencia Coach Mike Murrujo, was not pleased about his team’s play.

“We’re supposed to be getting better as we head into league play and there are a lot of things we have to correct. There was a lot of sloppy play.”

The Lancers rallied from a 14-0 deficit to trail by a point as the third quarter ended, thanks in part to Dhenin’s fumble at the Sunny Hills one-yard line late in the second quarter, and to a third-quarter interception that Ryan Mansfield returned 75 yards for a Sunny Hills touchdown.

But with 6:26 left to play, Sunny Hills defensive back Shaun Cahill tried to intercept a pass by Robert Hernandez at the Valencia 40. He missed, and wide receiver Sonny Lopez caught the pass and ran for a 69-yard touchdown.