Duarte Dusts Anaheim With Speed

Anaheim Coach Todd Borowski isn’t used to the kind of speed he saw Friday.

That speed belonged to Duarte, as the undefeated Falcons sped away from Anaheim,32-7, in a Division VI quarterfinal at Glover Stadium.

Asked if he’d seen speed like that before, Borowski shot back, “Have you ever seen speed like that in the county before?

“Five of their guys are being recruited by Division I schools,” Borowski said. “Three of the four (defensive backs) will go Division I.”

When asked about Johnnie Shelton’s 75-yard touchdown run early in the fourth quarter, which gave Duarte a 27-6 lead, Borowski said, “Best running back I’ve seen this year.”

Who would argue?

Shelton--a 6-foot-1, 232-pound senior fullback--battered his way to 126 yards in 11 carries.

When Shelton wasn’t punishing Anaheim from the inside, Nathaniel Jacquet was burning the Colonists on the outside.

Jacquet opened the scoring in the first quarter when he caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Greg Ainsworth.

The Falcons (11-0) were at it again in the second quarter when Jacquet blocked a punt by Javier Gomez and Joseph Barnes recovered on the Colonists’ 16.

Malachi Brown scored four plays later from four yards out and kicked his second extra point.

Anaheim (9-3) got back in it when Brian Diaz cut the lead to 14-7 with 8 minutes 31 seconds left in the third quarter on a one-yard run.

Diaz had another superb game, rushing for 138 yards in 29 carries.

But just as fast as Anaheim scored, Duarte came back.

Three plays later, Jacquet raced 43 yards to give the Falcons a 20-7 lead.

“We had their plays covered,” Borowski said. “They pitched the ball and they were gone.”

As one Duarte fan said when he was walking by Borowski, “When you hit a rock, coach, you hit a rock.”

It left Anaheim stone cold.

Phil Covarrubias, Anaheim’s quarterback, completed only 3 of 19 passes for 21 yards.

Michael Edwards intercepted a pass for Anaheim, while Justin Beltran recovered a fumble.

*

D--Jacquet 31 pass from Ainsworth (Brown kick)

D--Brown 4 run (Brown kick)

A--Diaz 1 run (Herrera kick)

D--Jacquet 43 run (pass failed)

D--Shelton 75 run (pass failed)

D--Vann 15 fumble return (no conversion attempted)

LEADING RUSHERS--D: Shelton 11-126; A: Diaz 29-138. LEADING PASSERS--D: Ainsworth 4-6-1, 78; A: Covarrubias 3-19-0, 21. LEADING RECEIVERS--D: Clark 2-37; A: 2-19.

Attendance--2,200.