TUSTIN — The Tustin football team continues to persevere.
Riddled by injuries to key players like Ayden Edwards and Jon Ioane, and simultaneously battling grief after the death of former player Will Leapert, the Tillers continue to find a way to win.
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Jeremiah Williams scored on a 1-yard run on fourth-and-goal to lift Tustin to a 16-13 victory over Long Beach Poly on Friday night at Tustin High.
“First and foremost, our defense man is phenomenal. They kept us in it,” Tustin coach Anthony Lopez said. “They scored as many points as our offense and that’s how we came out on top.”
The Jackrabbits had one final shot at stealing a win thanks to a great kickoff return by Zion Anderson. But a few plays later Amir Moorehead secured the victory for the Tillers with an interception in the final moments.
“Our defense is going to keep us in every game,” Lopez said,” and you know, we just got to find some rhythm offensively. If we do that, we’re gonna be OK.”
The Tillers (2-1) saved their best possession for last.
Poly took a 13-9 lead with 4:27 left in the game on Jeron Johnson II’s TD run.
Tustin’s Hayden Koo, who has stepped in at quarterback while Edwards works his way back to action, was ready for the moment.
“I looked at Hayden, and he was — he was ready,” Lopez said. “He just said ‘let’s go, it’s time.’
“And you put the ball in his hand, special things are gonna happen.”
Koo scrambled for a 32-yard gain after scooping the ball off the turf from a low snap. The run gave Tustin a first-and-goal from the Poly 9.
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After a pair of runs from Steele Holcomb got the ball to the 1, Williams, a BYU commit, did the honors.
“We found a way, we dug deep and got down on the goal line, gave it to the big guy and let him go in,” Lopez said.
Oklahoma commit Taven Epps’ alertness paid off on the very first play of the second half.
Rufai Azeez stripped Poly QB Ace Fa’agata near the goal line and Epps dove on the loose ball in the end zone, giving Tustin a 7-6 lead.
Long Beach Poly (1-2) picked off Koo twice in the first half but had to settle for a pair of field goals by Jonas Mendoza, in part because of Tustin’s stingy defense.
The Tillers will look for their third straight win when they host Damien on Thursday, Sept. 10.
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