By Jacob Wilson/Garden Grove Journal
Argonaut running back C.J. Del Real breaks through the line against Rancho
The Argonauts are back on top.
After winning a CIF title in 2010, back-to-back trips to the finals and three straight Garden Grove League titles, the Argonauts fell to Earth a little last year, going 3-2 in league to finish third.
“We had injuries last year and this year other teams were picked ahead of us,” Garden Grove Head Coach Willy Puga said. “We had something to prove.”
They proved it. This year, the Argonauts (7-2, 4-0) have dominated in league games with one more to go. Garden Grove has outscored league opponents 218-14 with three shutouts.
“In preseason we played high-caliber teams and our guys fought hard,” Puga said. “It gets you ready for league.”
The Argonauts were 3-2 in non-league games. The team lost a close one to Woodbridge 37-30 and a not-so-close one to El Toro 49-6.
Woodbridge is in the same CIF division as Garden Grove (Southern) and is just 4-5 on the year. The two teams could meet in the playoffs but the Warriors are in a four way tie for second in the Pacific Coast League and need a win to qualify. El Toro is 9-0 and in first place in the South Coast League.
The Argonauts clinched at least a share of their league title with a 38-0 win over Rancho Alamitos (6-3, 2-2) and can win it outright with a win over Bolsa Grande (1-8, 0-4) Friday. The Vaqueros are tied for third with La Quinta (4-5, 2-2) and face Santiago (3-6, 1-3) Thursday.
Puga knows his team won’t overlook Bolsa, despite the disparity in win-loss records.
“Our theme is finish games and league,
Despite the lopsided score, the game was a defensive struggle in the first half. The Argonauts shut down Rancho’s offense by stuffing running lanes and filling passing lanes. In short, wherever the ball went, so did the Argonaut defense.
“It’s our team speed,” Puga said “All our guys can run and they swarm to the football.”
The Vaquero defense made some big plays of its own to keep the game close. Vaquero linebacker Keanu Duquet caused a fumble and the Vaqueros took over at midfield. But Rancho couldn’t capitalize and had to punt.
Just one play later, Rancho defensive back Fa’anati Fiaseu intercepted an Argonaut pass, but the Vaquero offense stalled.
The Argonauts led 10-0 at halftime. Sione Masoe scored on a five yard run in the first. Gabriel Cabrillo added a 25-yard field goal early in the second.
The ball really started to bounce Garden Grove’s way in the third quarter. Sione Masoe threw a 22-yard pass to Angel Martinez in the end zone. Martinez jumped, tipped the ball and caught it as he landed for the score.
“Teams think run when Sione’s at QB so they were caught off guard,” Puga said. “Angel’s a good athlete. We have confidence he can get the ball.”
Three plays later, a tipped pass led to an interception by Argonaut defensive back C.J. Del Real. Garden Grove turned the turnover into seven more points when Martinez capped a 65-yard drive with a seven-yard touchdown to start the fourth quarter.
The Argonauts added two more touchdowns. Maze Masoe added a 12-yard run, and Josh Ocampo scored from 15 yards out.
