By Ron Vrooman
(Costa Mesa) – The Alhambra Moors rolled to a 46-14 victory over the Calvary Chapel Eagles in their Division 13 quarterfinal game at Orange Coast College last Friday night.
The Moors, who are now 12-0 on the season, will travel to Ramona High in Riverside this coming Friday for a semifinal matchup against the 10-2 Rams.
Alhambra quarterback Noah Rodriguez connected on eight of 20 passes for 182 yards and three touchdowns against Calvary Chapel. Tyler Gonzalez, who started at wide receiver because of an ankle injury sustained by Kody Chuang the previous week, made three catches for 137 yards and two scores to help lead the Moors.
A 61-yard punt return by Vito Russell set up Alhambra’s first touchdown, and five takeaways by the Moors’ defense turned the game into a rout. Safety John Ortega’s 48-yard interception return for a score put the Moors ahead, 12-0, in the first quarter.
Then, late in the second quarter, Rafael Sanchez’s fumble recovery led to a 21-yard TD run by Issac Hernandez which gave Alhambra a 32-7 lead.
Running back Jose Ortiz scored the Moors’ last touchdown on a one-yard burst early in the final quarter, four plays after an interception by cornerback Vidhan Gurung gave them the ball at the Eagles’ 11-yard line.
Gurung also contributed to Alhambra’s offense, catching a 13-yard scoring pass from Rodriguez in the third quarter.
Calvary Chapel quarterback Ian Capuano completed 10 of 27 passes for 228 yards and two touchdowns, which included an 89-yard bomb to William Koth which cut the Moors’ lead to 18-7 in the second quarter. But, Capuano got picked off four times, and the Moors held the Eagles to just 41 yards on the ground while rushing for 112 yards themselves.
Calvary Chapel ended the 2019 season with a record of 9-3.
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