FAITH BOWL LIVES UP TO BILLING
Inaugural ‘Faith Bowl’ a wild game; SCV alums keep thriving
So-called big games often fall far short of their billing.
It’s conceivable that Santa Clarita Christian and Trinity Classical Academy could’ve built up the first-ever “Faith Bowl” with T-shirts and burgers, MVP trophies and raucous Christian music only to have the game itself fall flat. That wasn’t the case. The first 11-man football matchup between the Santa Clarita Valley’s only Christian high schools had all those peripheral things, but it also had a first half fit for a rivalry game — one that saw the perceived underdog Trinity turn three interception returns for touchdowns into an 1814 halftime lead.
But the Knights couldn’t keep down the high-powered SCCS offense forever, and Cards quarterback Tristan Miller bounced back from five first-half interceptions to pick apart Trinity in the second half.
Miller finished the game 30for-57 for 326 yards and three touchdowns — he completed his final 11 throws.
“He could feel the rivalry on campus — in the air, in the community,” SCCS head coach Garrick Moss said of Miller, who leads the East Valley division with 2,085 yards, 29 TDs and 12 interceptions . “... He put more pressure (on himself) than he needed to.”
Two of Miller’s scores went to SCCS wide receiver Michael Uribe, who was chosen by The Signal (upon request by the
schools) as the Cardinals MVP of the game.
Trinity’s MVP went to senior Ian Caddow, who returned two interceptions for TDs in the first half.
The teams prayed together after the game before individual trophies were given to Uribe and Caddow.
Trinity is currently playing as an independent, and Knights head coach Les Robinson said after the game he didn’t know whether they’d join SCCS’s San Joaquin League next year.
But either way, the Faith Bowl will roll on.
“We are looking forward to it,” Robinson said. “We know they are.”
White hot
Slowly ... steadily ... little by little, Hart High graduate and former COC wide receiver Tim White had earned a role on the Arizona State offense.
Then bam, White went big time on Saturday.
The 5-foot-11-inch junior caught seven passes for 144 yards and two touchdowns in a 48-23 Sun Devils win over the University of Colorado in Tempe, Ariz.
White beat the
Buffaloes defense on a double move for a 38-yard TD early in the second quarter to put ASU ahead 24-7.
His second score was far cooler.
ASU quarterback Mike Bercovici had a pass deflected by a Colorado defensive back only to have White catch it at the Buffaloes’ 27. The COC alumnus then ducked under one tackle attempt and simply ran away from another would-be tackler for a 45-yard score early in the third.
One tackler White didn’t get away from — at least on one particular play — was Valencia High graduate and Colorado defensive back Tedric Thompson.
Thompson tackled White after a 4-yard catch midway through the third quarter.
The Colorado junior finished with five tackles in the game.
For the season, White has 20 catches for 278 yards and five touchdowns.
COC football
Like the catchy Phil Collins tune, you could feel it coming.
The Cougars haven’t looked like the team that handily beat the then-No. 1 ranked squad in the state in their season opener since, well, their season opener.
College of the Canyons saw its first 5-0 start since 2008 turn into a 5-1 start on Saturday in a 19-3 nonconference loss at No. 17 Saddleback College.
COC, which entered the week ranked No. 4 in the state, had won its previous four games by a combined 20 points.
But in each of those games, the Cougars found a way to prevail — whether that be two TDs in the final 4:38 against Pasadena or a Devon Dunn scoring run with less than 5 minutes left against Santa Ana.
The Cougars had no such answers Saturday.
COC turned the ball over on downs deep in Saddleback territory twice in the fourth quarter — at the Gauchos 23 and 5, respectively.
The latter came with less than 4 minutes to play.
The Cougars also saw a drive end at the Saddleback 29 in the first half after a Dunn fumble.
Alec Chadwick provided the only Cougars scoring with a 40-yard field goal in the third quarter.
Dunn completed 21-of46 passes for 209 yards and no TDs or interceptions. His main target was Conner Byrnes, who caught nine passes for 97 yards.
Cougar Anthony Costleigh posted a team-high 10 tackles.
Triston Brown recorded an interception for COC, which remains in a tie with Cerritos for first place of the National Division, Northern Conference at 2-0.
Vereen shines for Giants
The 49ers should double team Vereen, said the NBC commentator.
The comment came about the time the New York Giants began their game-winning drive with three of their best wide receivers sidelined — Odell Beckham Jr., Rueben Randle and Victor Cruz.
The commentator was right.
Valencia High graduate and Giants running back Shane Vereen caught three passes for 51 yards on that final 82-yard drive that ended with Eli Manning’s scoring strike to Larry Donnell with 21 seconds left to give New York a 30-27 win.
Vereen finished the game with eight catches for 86 yards and a 2-yard TD catch that put the Giants ahead 10-3 early in the second quarter.
It was Vereen’s first score of the season.
He also ran the ball five times for 24 yards.