ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / PREP EXTRA : Westminster Discovers It’s No Match for Servite

WESTMINSTER — Westminster was the one team considered capable of challenging Servite for the Golden West League title. The Lions gave a valiant effort, but they were no match for Servite.

Sparked by the passing of junior quarterback Greg Cicero, Servite took sole possession of first place with a 43-28 league victory over Westminster in front of 1,600 Friday night at Westminster High.

Cicero threw three touchdowns and scored one as the Friars, ranked No. 3 in Division V and No. 10 in the county, rallied from an early deficit and rolled.

Said Servite Coach Larry Toner, “Westminster fought us all of the way. I was pleased with our play, but we never put them away or had control of the game. They battled us all the way.”

Westminster (4-3, 1-1) grabbed an 8-0 lead when Sparky Kale scored on a 56-yard touchdown run and quarterback Manual Tapia ran in the two-point conversion.

But Servite (5-2, 2-0), which won its third in a row, scored on three consecutive series and four of five in the first half to take a lead it never surrendered.

Cicero’s two-yard scoring run with 8:10 left in the first quarter and his pass to Mike Garko for the two-point conversion tied the score, 8-8.

A 25-yard touchdown pass from Cicero to Stephen Ward and a 10-yard scoring run by Dan Rubalcava gave Servite a 22-8 lead early in the second quarter. Westminster cut it to 22-15 when Chris Brewer caught a 14-yard touchdown pass from Tapia. But Cicero, who completed 14 of 23 attempts for 292 yards, hit sophomore running back Vince Reed on an eight-yard scoring pass to give Servite a 29-15 halftime lead.

On the Friars’ second possession of the third quarter, Cicero struck again, completing a 69-yard touchdown pass to Chris Bystedt to increase Servite’s lead to 36-15. A one-yard run by Servite’s Vince Melendez completed the Friars’ scoring early in the fourth quarter.

Westminster tried to rally with two fourth-quarter touchdowns, but failed.

Servite finished with 436 yards overall to 322 for Westminster.