Irvine’s Defense Saves the Day

What looked to be a high-scoring shootout early turned into a defensive battle as Irvine defeated Loara, 22-13, Friday night in a nonleague game at Glover Stadium.

Irvine’s defense came up with three key takeaways, two of which came early in the game. Loara’s Billy Chavez fumbled on the Irvine one-yard line and the Vaqueros recovered.

On Loara’s next possession, Keith Short intercepted a pass by quarterback Jeremy Ellis and returned the ball 35 yards to the Loara 21-yard line.

Six plays later Short’s one-yard run gave Irvine a 7-0 lead with 1:12 left in the first quarter.

Loara (3-2) got even by scoring on its next offensive play. Billy Chavez took a screen pass 80 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown with 55 seconds left in the quarter.

Then the defenses took over, as Loara and Irvine combined for 36 yards over the next 23 minutes. The two teams punted 11 times during that stretch. Loara’s Miguel Gonzalez also missed a 42-yard field goal.

Irvine (3-1-1) finally broke the stalemate late in the third quarter when Short ran for an 81-yard touchdown to give the Vaqueros a 13-7 lead.

Short finished with a game-high 141 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Loara never could get untracked offensively. Ellis’ second interception of the game led to a 37-yard field goal by Jessob Reisbeck, giving the Vaqueros a 16-7 lead with 5:39 to play.

“Our defense was the key,” said Irvine Coach Terry Henigan, whose team had six sacks. “I was really happy with the way those guys played in the second half.”