Dana Hills Takes Out Its Frustration on Mission Viejo

MISSION VIEJO — It had been a rotten week at Dana Hills. Coach Scott Orloff, unhappy at his team’s poor performance in a 41-point loss to Mater Dei, put the Dolphins through their toughest week of practice this season.

By Friday’s game, Dana Hills was in a surly mood, and took it out on Mission Viejo, winning, 35-26, at Mission Viejo.

The reward for winning was getting the inside track on a second-place finish in the South Coast League. Beating Trabuco Hills would lock up second for the Dolphins (6-2-1, 2-1-1) and probably get them a first-round home game.

“We beat the third-ranked team [Laguna Hills] and the sixth-ranked team [Mission Viejo] and we’re still disrespected,” Orloff said.

Dolphins’ running back Julio Peraza did everything he could to get Dana Hills to its present position, running for 202 yards and three touchdowns despite a bad left leg that has slowed him for a month.

“We knew he didn’t play well against Mater Dei, and on Saturday we said we were going to go hard every practice and every play from now on,” Peraza said. “It paid off tonight.”

Peraza said he is playing at “about 90%,” but that was more than Mission Viejo (7-2, 2-2) could handle.

“Peraza at 90% is still better than 90% of the [county] backs playing at 100%,” Diablo Coach Bill Denny said.

But the Dolphins overcame a one-point deficit in the second half. They recovered three fumbles by Diablo running back Mike Chavis, and scored 21 points off those turnovers. They intercepted two passes by Mission Viejo quarterback Jake Fitch.

Mission Viejo scored first, a five-yard touchdown run by Dan Bowling to cap a 77-yard, nine-play drive in the first quarter.

When Dana Hills got the ball back, the Dolphins not only tied the score, they took their time in doing so. The visitors took 18 plays and just over eight minutes to go 80 yards, with Peraza entering the end zone from two yards.

Dana Hills recovered Chavis’ first fumble at the Mission Viejo 30. Three plays later, Peraza broke two tackles and bolted 21 yards for his second touchdown. Peraza added a two-point conversion, and the Dolphins were up, 15-7.

Mission Viejo looked as if it finish the first half trailing, when all the Dolphins could muster on their next drive was a 39-yard field goal by Nick Gilliam. But Dana Hills could not run out the half, giving the Diablos one final possession at the Mission Viejo 40 with 26 seconds left.

Fitch made the Dolphins pay, passing to Gilliam for 13 yards, and then finding Bobby Young behind the Dolphins’ secondary for a 47-yard touchdown pass. A holding penalty thwarted the Diablos’ two-point conversion try, but Mission Viejo still left the field leading, 16-15.