ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / PREP EXTRA : DIVISION VIII : Sierra Vista Gets a Late Sack to Polish Off Aliso Niguel, 9-7

Oscar Arzu tackled quarterback Steve Nemeth in the end zone with 1 minute 36 seconds left to play to lift top-seeded Baldwin Park Sierra Vista to a 9-7 victory over Aliso Niguel Friday in a Southern Section Division VIII second-round game.

The first 46 minutes of the game saw both teams making key defensive plays as well as controlling the ball on crucial third- and fourth-down plays.

With the score tied at 7-7, Sierra Vista (11-0-1) gave the Wolverines a chance to win the game with two minutes remaining. Jeremy Miller recovered a Sierra Vista fumble at the Aliso Niguel 40.

However, the Wolverines (8-3-1) suffered two consecutive fumbles. They recovered both, but lost 31 yards in the process, putting the ball at their nine-yard line and setting up Arzu’s game-winning sack.

The Dons scored the first time they had the ball when Oscar Interiano carried it in from 11 yards and kicked the extra point.

Aliso Niguel bounced right back. Andrew Mashburn took a lateral and passed to John Hafty for a 32-yard gain. After converting from fourth and one at the nine, Nemeth carried the ball into the end zone from the one. David Waltzman’s extra point tied the score at 7-7.

Interiano, who has 5,502 yards in his career at Sierra Vista, was held to 38 yards in the first half but carried the ball 24 times in the second half and finished with 141 yards.