ORANGE — The El Modena football team has played two games this season and has been dominant in both contests.
The Vanguards got off to a bit of a slow start in a nonleague game versus Sunny Hills on Saturday at El Modena High School. El Modena then picked up the pace with three touchdowns in the third quarter on the way to a 43-3 victory.
The Vanguards (2-0) have yet two allow a touchdown in the young season and have outscored their opponents by a combined score of 81-3.
The high scores can be attributed to sophomore quarterback Xzavior Guess and a group of receivers and running backs who collectively bring speed and power to the offense.
Guess, a left-handed thrower who saw some action as a freshman, completed 14 of 23 for 129 yards and two touchdowns against Sunny Hills.
“He’s learning and growing and doing well,” El Modena coach Matt Mitchell said. “Two weeks in a row, he is doing well and getting more comfortable. He can see the field well and tuck it a run when he wants to.”
The sophomore also displayed speed and the ability to make sharp cuts on a 23-yard touchdown run for the first score of the game.
El Modena running back Owen Smith had 11 carries for 189 yards and a touchdown.
Smith rarely went down on initial contact and often dragged defenders along for extra yards before going down.
Smith used his power to break free of defenders in a 45-yard touchdown run that gave the Vanguards a 22-0 lead in the third quarter.
Later in the quarter, Mayson Hitchens sprinted down the right sideline for an 85-yard touchdown.
The final third-quarter score and the one that put the game away came on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Guess to Sam Astor.
Guess threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Holzgang in the second quarter.
The Lancers (0-2) scored on a 37-yard field goal from Mathias Brown in the third quarter.
Even with two one sided victories, Mitchell told his team after the game that there is plenty of room for improvement.
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El Modena takes on Segerstrom (1-2) next week and then face a series of tough opponents, La Habra, San Juan Hills, Villa Park and Foothill.
But if the Vanguards play to their potential, “they could be a very special group,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got a chance to be pretty good.”