Ace Riggins
School: Valencia High
Sport: Football
Position: Running back
Class: Senior
Riggins might not have been Valencia’s biggest offensive threat during the regular season, but he loomed large in the Tigers’ 25-13 victory over Duarte in the Division VI championship game Friday. Riggins carried the ball 13 times for 122 yards, including an 80-yard run that gave Valencia a 25-7 lead in the third quarter. “He’s just a real tough runner,” Coach Mike Marrujo said. “He broke a lot of tackles this season. The big run was typical of that. He got through the line pretty good, then broke a tackle and went all the way.” Said Riggins: “I saw two guys I had to get around and my pulling guard Scott Redifer made a beautiful block that took one of them out. Then it was a one-on-one situation and he missed the tackle and I just ran for it.”
Other top performers:
Aron Garcia, who passed for 254 yards and two touchdowns in Irvine’s 30-8 victory over Newport Harbor for the Division IV football title.
Jamie Martinez, an Orange High runner who finished 10th in the Kinney national cross-country championships, running the three-mile course in San Diego’s Balboa Park in 15 minutes 40 seconds.
Troy Rodarmel, who was named most valuable player of the Laguna Hills basketball tournament after leading Capistrano Valley Christian to the title. Rodarmel averaged 20 points in three victories.
Brian Willmer, who had 27 tackles to help Sunny Hills defeat Rancho Alamitos, 14-13, for the Division VII football title.
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