Ayala Runs Down Esperanza : Prep football: Aztecs struggle early, rally late, but comeback falls short in 21-17 loss to Division III team from Chino Hills.

PLACENTIA — All week the Esperanza coaches tried to convince the Aztecs that Chino Hills Ayala was not your run-of-the-mill Division III team. On Thursday, Ayala proved them right.

A relentless running game, sticky defense and an interception with less than two minutes to play was enough for Ayala to beat Orange County’s second-ranked team, 21-17, before 1,500 at Valencia High.

Ayala (2-0) raced to a 21-3 lead, thanks to fullback Anthony Redd, who gained 104 yards and scored on an 11-yard run in the third quarter; running back Jason Taylor, who rushed for 49 yards and one touchdown, and quarterback Gabe Garza, who completed five of six for 86 yards and a touchdown.

Then the Bulldogs’ defense bottled up Esperanza, survived a last flurry and ran out the clock after Maurice Metters intercepted a David Parrish pass at the Bulldog 17 with 2:22 to play.

“I wouldn’t call this an upset,” Ayala Coach Mark Pasquarella said. “We felt we could play with them. We respect their program, wanted to see if we could play with them, and we can.”

Esperanza (1-1) was lucky to be close at the end. Ayala fumbled six times, and Esperanza recovered two and converted them into 10 points.

Otherwise the Aztecs were blunted at every turn by a Bulldog defense that stuck to the Esperanza receivers like super glue.

“We really stunk up the place on offense tonight,” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said. “I don’t want to take anything away from Ayala, but they took away our passing game and dared us to run. And we couldn’t.”

Despite nearly 40 frustrating minutes when all they could manage was a 36-yard field goal from Jason Kupper, the Aztecs almost stole a victory.

Parrish, who spent much of the game overthrowing receivers and completed only five passes for 50 yards, slipped a 10-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Wilkins with 8:37 remaining. A two-point conversion pass to Brian Forth cut the margin to 21-11.

And after forcing Ayala to punt after three plays for the first time in the game, Jamal Footman (97 yards) raised the Esperanza hopes higher, breaking loose for a 54-yard touchdown run with 4:51 left. This time, however, a two-point run attempt failed.