Lightning roasted by Fairmont’s Harris

Roger Carlson

Sage Hill School’s young football team went from virtually nothing at

all in the first half, and rallied to within striking distance and

more in the second half before letting it slip away Friday afternoon

as visiting Fairmont Prep of Anaheim posted a 26-13 nonleague

victory.

In the final analysis, the Huskies had a 5-foot-9, 165-pound

senior named Justin Harris, and despite second-half flurries by the

host Lightning, Harris proved to be too much.

The Huskies’ running back rushed for 182 yards on 14 carries and

two touchdowns on dashes of 29 and 83 yards, caught six passes for

105 yards, including a 29-yard TD, and returned an interception 18

yards for 305 all-purpose yards.

His 83-yard TD run with 1:51 left put an end to Sage Hill’s final

threat.

It was all Fairmont in the first half as the Huskies raced to a

20-6 lead. The Lightning’s only touchdown in the first half came

after Fairmont turned it over on its own 7-yard line with a bad

center snap on a punting situation. On fourth-and-inches, fullback

Ray Lim nudged over right guard.

Sage Hill did not get a first down until 4:26 was spent in the

third quarter, but suddenly showed a big reversal, marching 57 yards

on nine plays.

The Lightning pulled to within 20-13 on Amy Werblin’s extra point

kick after Eddie Huang swept the right side for the touchdown from 29

yards out with 4:48 left in the third quarter.

Fairmont went three-and-out and Sage Hill was on the march again,

driving to the Fairmont 16.

But two costly penalties and injuries to quarterback Braden Ross

and Lim over a course of four plays staggered the Lightning’s bid.

“We really turned it around in the second half,” said Sage Hill

Coach Tom Monarch. “We were stuffing them before those two penalties

and two injuries.”

Huang came on in the latter stages with a one-man effort, but Sage

Hill was thwarted at the Fairmont 17, and Harris came on to post his

game-breaker. Fairmont improves to 3-2.

“Huang’s really a warrior,” noted Monarch, who saw his team fall

to 1-3. “I was really proud of him. He’s the man of the year for us.”

Huang took over as the quarterback and key runner in the late

going before Ross returned for the last two series.

Huang was involved as the passer or runner in 14 of his team’s final 16 snaps from scrimmage.

Lim appears to be OK with a hamstring injury, but missed the rest

of the game. He was the team’s workhorse until then, carrying for 55

yards and a TD on 15 carries.

Fairmont entered with a 14-man roster and was without starting

quarterback Matt Ethridge.

Sage Hill suited up 19, leaving both teams with virtual iron-man

performances.