IRVINE — Sina Saferzadeh is known for his passing. He is known for his running. But Friday night in the first round of the Division 8 playoffs, the Irvine senior did something a little out of the ordinary.
He returned an interception for a touchdown, providing the back-breaking moment in a victory over Temecula Valley.
The Vaqueros scored a 24-7 win in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 8 playoffs.
They will play on the road in the second round in pursuit of their first title since going 14-0 in 2000, according to coach Tom Ricci.
Third-seeded Irvine improved to 8-3 and will play at Quartz Hill, a 41-0 winner over Calvary Chapel. Temecula Valley finishes 5-6.
Irvine might have put the game away earlier if it had any success on point-afters, but the Vaqueros didn’t convert any after their four touchdowns.
Despite a rather one-sided performance, Temecula Valley was still in the game – and positioned itself for an upset – after the defense made a big play that set up the Golden Bears’ only score.
Irvine had gone six consecutive possessions without scoring when Noah Murillo intercepted a Saferzadeh pass at the 18 and returned it to the 13. Then Jaanai Ramirez ran around the end for a touchdown.
After Colin Elia kicked the PAT, Irvine’s lead was a rather uncomfortable 12-7 with 7:08 left in the third quarter.
Irvine responded by going back to the brand of football it played on the opening two drives that yielded points – power football with running back Seamus Hoffman, and timely passing from Saferzadeh.
Irvine extended its lead to 18-7 when Jayden Heo scored from eight yards with 1:27 left in the third. That gave Irvine some more breathing room, and in the first 15 seconds of the fourth quarter, Saferzadeh delivered the knockout punch – on defense.
Saferzadeh intercepted a pass and returned it 48 yards for a touchdown. It sealed the outcome.
“It felt amazing, especially (because) I threw that pick,” said Saferzadeh, referring to the interception he threw that set up Temecula Valley’s only score. “To get it right back, I redeemed myself.”
It was a big night for the senior. He totaled three touchdowns, including runs of three and one yards on the first two drives. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 101 yards, with an interception. Smith Spivey caught seven passes for 88 yards.
“We came out really strong, our O-line set the tone early, and our defense was super physical,” Saferzadeh said. “Our linemen up front are amazing. They played spectacular.”
The group, which included Donovan Brannon and Cevin Blanco, led the way for Hoffman to rush for 102 yards on 20 carries.
The defense was very physical and limited Temecula Valley’s offense to 37 yards passing and 51 rushing.
Among those hard to miss on defense were Chad Russom, Cameron Galatioto and Jack Pagano.
“You just saw the difference between a well-polished team that executed and has been in the playoffs before, compared to a team that’s climbing the ladder,” said third-year Golden Bears coach John Bonaventura. “There’s no quit in this group. We have (nine) sophomores in key positions, and we lost our starting right tackle (Anthony Santos III), who’s an all-league guy, in the first quarter and then we had to start moving guys around, guys that haven’t played. We just didn’t execute.”
And Irvine did.
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