Football: Lancers’ defense preserves 21-17 victory
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Junior linebacker Tanner Ford jarred the ball loose from La Habra backup quarterback Matt Yackey and recovered the fumble at the Orange Lutheran 35-yard line with 19 seconds left to preserve the Lancers’ 21-17 victory at Glover Stadium in Anaheim.
It was a furious finish, as the Highlanders had two chances to score in the final five minutes.
La Habra drove to Orange Lutheran’s 6-yard line but failed on four chances to get into the end zone and Orange Lutheran took over on downs with 3:12 left. The Lancers tried to gain a first down to run out the clock, but A.J. Holman was tackled for a loss on third-and-1 and Orange Lutheran was forced to punt.
La Habra got the ball back at its own 40 with 52 seconds left and drove to the Lancers’ 45 before Yackey was flushed out of the pocket and hit by Ford, who pounced on the loose ball.
Orange Lutheran quarterback Clark Livingston took a knee on the next play and La Habra, out of timeouts, was unable to stop the clock.
-- Steve Galluzzo