San Diego Union-Tribune (Sunday)
LANCERS DRIVE THEIR WAY TO VICTORY OVER FALCONS
It was a thing of beauty — an 80-yard, 8-play drive, the type Tom Brady, Aaron Rodgers or Patrick Mahomes might direct in the last minute.
But this was Carlsbad sophomore Julian Sayin leading his team down the field, not a seasoned NFL veteran. Sayin’s drive covered 1:12 of the 1:13 remaining in the game and his final-play, 12-yard TD strike to Josh Davis propelled No. 1- ranked Carlsbad to a 34-33 Avocado League win over No. 5 Torrey Pines before an overflow Homecoming crowd.
There was one second remaining when the officials ran off the field, denying Torrey Pines a chance to return a kickoff. Sayin completed 5 of 6 passes for 46 yards on the drive and scrambled twice for 7 yards. Torrey Pines (3-2, 1-1) was penalized 15 yards for grabbing Sayin’s face mask at the end of one of his runs. “That was a crazy ending,” said Sayin.
Sayin completed 18 of 27 passes for 281 yards and 3 TDS. He had one pass intercepted, a ball that was tipped by Easton Clements and intercepted in the end zone by Stafford Anderson.
Sayin also had a key block that sprang Matt Moore for a TD on an 80-yard reverse midway through the fourth quarter. Carlsbad had 501 yards total offense with Anthony Ferrelli, who was everywhere on defense, rushing 10 times for 97 yards and a TD.
Torrey Pines had 437 yards total offense. Clements had 5 carries for 145 yards with runs of 68 yards — a TD on the game’s first play — and 51 yards.
Top 10 Fared
No. 2 Cathedral Catholic 52, No. 8 Madison 6:
Cathedral Catholic (5-2, 1-0) limited Madison (4-2, 0-1) to 92 yards in total offense and scored 2 defensive TDS in the Western League game. Marcus Ratcliffe returned an interception 95 yards for a TD. Running back Lucky Sutton racked up 163 yards on 16 carries and scored 4 TDS.
No. 3 Lincoln 34, St. Augustine 18: For Lincoln (5-1, 1-0), QB Jalen Daniels hit 12 of 20 passes for 286 yards, 3 TDS and rushed for a score in the Western League contest. Marcus Moore had 5 catches for 159 yards and 2 TDS. For St. Augustine (1-6, 0-1), Gracen Halton had 4 tackles for a loss, 1 sack, plus 4 catches for 50 yards and a TD.
No. 4 Mater Dei Catholic 46, Bonita Vista 0: The Mater Dei Catholic (5-0, 1-0) defense has pitched back-to-back shut outs and won the Metro Mesa League game. The defense held Bonita Vista (2-3, 0-1) to minus-15 yards rushing. On offense. QB Dominic Nankil completed 14 of 19 for 186 yards and 3 TDS for the Crusaders.
No. 6 Mission Hills 31, Oceanside 12: QB Jack Madsen threw TD passes to Matt Martin and Jayden Williams and ran for another score for Mission Hills (4-2, 2-1) in the Avocado League game. Peter Eyobi had 2 sacks. Oceanside falls to 3-3, 1-2.
No. 7 Scripps Ranch 48, Point Loma 14: QB Jax Leatherwood completed 15 of 17 passes for 232 yards and 3 TDS for Scripps (5-0, 1-0) in the Eastern League game.rb Jalen Shaw gained 127 yards on 8 carries with scoring runs of 30 and 41 yards. LB Xander Medina had 2 sacks and a forced fumble. For Point Loma (2-4, 0-1), Chase Lowary gained 86 yards on 11 carries and had a sack.
No. 9 Mt. Carmel 26, Vista 14: QB Cayden Gent was 10 for 26 passing for 204 yards, and Keyzante Matthews ran for 3 TDS to lead Mt. Carmel (6-0, 1-0) in a Palomar League game. Hunter Ledesma rushed 10 times for 104 yards and led the team with 9 tackles. Vista (2-4, 0-2) scored twice, the first points allowed by the Sundevils since Week 2 vs. Henry.
No. 10 Helix:
Elsewhere Bye
La Costa Canyon 28, El Camino 17: QB Kyle Mccormick had a 58-yard TD run and scored on an 18-yard sneak for LCC (3-3, 2-1) in the Avocado League contest. QB Kiah Reid completed 16 of 27 passes for 265 yards and a TD for El Camino (3-3, 0-2).
San Marcos 36, San Pasqual 7: San Marcos (1-5) QB Emmett Brown threw 4 TD passes, 2 to Christian Ethridge and one each to Kaden Vohnout and Nolan Cumming. Ty Clark returned a fumble 45 yards for a score. San Pasqual falls to 4-2.
Valley Center 33, Escondido 6: Lucas Sinohui rushed 26 times for 182 yards and 2 TDS for Valley Center (3-3, 1-1) in the Valley League game. QB Colton Paxton completed 7 of 10 passes for 166 yards and 3 TDS. Escondido falls to 3-4, 0-2.
Ramona 45, Rancho Buena Vista 6: QB Devin Sobczak completed 13 of 19 for 223 yards and 4 TDS for Ramona (4-1, 2-0) in the Valley League contest. Azlan Enriquez caught 4 passes for 105 yards and a TD. Gino Trapasso rushed 23 times for 137 yards for RBV (4-3, 1-1)
Rancho Bernardo 60, Westview 7: Rancho Bernardo (4-2, 2-0) had 387 total yards in the Palomar League game, and the defense held Westview (1-5, 0-1) to 138 total yards, including minus-14 rushing. Wesley Hoehner returned a fumble 22 yards for a TD.
Poway 28, Del Norte 14: Conner Rath rushed 25 times for 174 yards and scored 3 TDS as Poway (4-2, 2-0) remained tied for first place in the Palomar League with rival Rancho Bernardo. Del Norte (3-3, 0-2) scored first on Martin Hill’s 42-yard TD run before the Titans roared back.
Patrick Henry 42, Morse 12:
Elijah Lux rushed for more than 200 yards and 2 TDS for Henry (4-2, 1-0) in the City League game. Hassan Noreddine had 18 tackles, including 2 sacks. Erik Barajas had 8 tackles and a sack. Morse fell to 3-3, 0-1.
San Diego 14, University 12: For San Diego (6-1, 1-0), Damien Whitfield carried 15 times for 159 yards and scored 2 TDS in the City League game. University City (3-3, 0-1) scored a late TD but Ezekiel Battle made a tackle just shy of the goal to stop a 2-point conversion.
Mira Mesa 28, Canyon Hills 13: Xavier Thomas paved the way for Mira Mesa (3-2, 1-0) by rushing for 166 yards on 26 carries and scoring 3 TDS in the Eastern League game. Canyon Hills fell to 1-5, 0-1.
Crawford 40, Kearny 14: QB Gavin Nguyen passed for 2 TDS and rushed for 2 more for Crawford (2-5, 1-0) in a Central League game. Kearny dropped to 0-6, 0-1.
Mission Bay 42, Clairemont 6: Mission Bay QB Clash Orsborn completed 18 of 26 passes for 241 yards. He threw for 5 TDS and ran for another for the Bucs (5-1, 1-0) in a Central League contest. Clairemont dropped to 0-7, 0-1.
Eastlake 54, Olympian 0: Jordan Blondin completed 18 of 25 passes for 223 yards and 3 TDS for Eastlake (4-2, 1-0) in the Metro Mesa League opener. Ashton Flores had a 75-yard TD run. The Eastlake defense held Olympian (0-5, 0-1) to 36 yards. Jayden Kendricks had 8 tackles and a sack.
Otay Ranch 49, Hilltop 21: Otay Ranch (2-3, 0-1) led 42-7 at the half in the Metro Mesa League opener. The defense held Hilltop (1-5, 0-1) to 120 yards.
Chula Vista 42, Castle Park 17: Giovanni Barrios rushed 10 times for 122 yards and scored 3 TDS for Chula Vista (3-2, 3-0) in a Metro South Bay League contest. Anthony Venegas rushed 17 times for 135 yards and a score. Castle Park is 0-7, 0-3.
Sweetwater 56, San Ysidro 7: Sweetwater (2-3, 0-1) rushed 30 times for 506 yards and 8 TDS in the Metro South Bay League game. Fabian Venegas led the way with 12 carries for 271 yards and 4 TDS. San Ysidro is 3-3, 1-2.
El Capitan 35, Santana 0: Savigon Yokley recorded a rare quadruple TD feat for the Vaqueros (5-1, 2-0) in a Grossmont Valley League contest. He scored on a 37-yard interception return, a 9-yard run and a 24-yard reception from Bruce Newland. Yokley also tossed a 7-yard TD to Angel Diaz. Santana (5-1, 1-1) was shut out for the first time since 2018.
Valhalla 41, El Cajon Valley 25: Tommy Logan ran for 3 TDS and threw 2 TDS to A.J. Cornthwaite as Valhalla (2-5, 1-2) won the Grossmont Valley game and snapped a 5-game losing streak. For El Cajon (2-5, 1-2), Kal-el Gordon rushed 26 times for 230 yards.
Daniel Jacobs was 10 of 20 passing for 106 yards and 2 TDS, including a 43-yarder to Shane Hopkins.
Mount Miguel 41, Monte Vista 0: Ruben Hernandez scored on runs of 37, 49 and 60 yards to lead Mount Miguel (2-2, 1-1) in a Grossmont Valley League game. The Monarchs (0-6, 0-2) sustained a third shutout.
La Cañada St. Francis 32, Steele Canyon 25 (OT): Major Givens scored 3 TDS, and Steele Canyon (1-6) posted 2 safeties. But in OT, from the 1-yard line, Steele was whistled twice for false start penalties and was stopped at the 3 on fourth down.
Santa Fe Christian 31, Bishop’s 24: Leading 13-7 at the half, SFC (6-0, 2-0) scored 21 points in the third quarter of the Coastal League game. QB Thomas Greupner was 7 of 10 for 226 yards and a 75-yard TD to Zachary Marshall. SFC is 6-0 for the first time since starting the 2009 season 7-0. Bishop’s is now 4-2, 1-1.
Tri-city Christian 49, O’farrell 8: Tri-city Christian (1-5) snapped a 5-game losing streak. QB Nick Poci rushed 4 yards for the game’s first TD and threw a 55-yard TD pass to John Paul Sagale, who also scored on runs of 4, 3 and 3. O’farrell is 1-5.
Foothills Christian 20, Maranatha Christian 19: Freshman QB Ben Hernandez threw for 133 yards for Foothills Christian (3-3, 2-1) in a Pacific League win. Jayden Gascon had 107 yards receiving with 2 TDS. Maranatha falls to 1-5, 0-1.
Escondido Charter 48, Armynavy 14: Escondido Charter (6-0, 3-0 Pacific League) was led by RB Dayne Patterson, who had 183 yards rushing and scored 4 TDS. QB Rocko Huntsman threw for 125 yards and a TD. Army-navy fell to 4-3, 1-1.
Classical Academy 17, Parker 10: Parker (3-3, 1-3) was tough on defense behind Ben Effriss with 11 tackles, including 4 tackles for loss. Chris White blocked a field goal try by Classical Academy (1-5, 1-2).
Orange Glen 35, La Jolla Country Day 14: Orange Glen (4-1, 3-0) won its fifth straight game and now leads the Coastal League. La Jolla Country Day fell to 4-2, 2-1.
Brawley 50, Southwest-el Centro 6: Ethan Gutierrez was 9 of 13 passing for 226 yards and 2 TDS, plus he rushed 5 times for 103 yards and 3 TDS to lead Brawley (5-2, 1-0) in an Imperial Valley League game. Southwest dropped to 2-4, 0-1.
Central Union 42, Calexico 6: Damian Rodriguez was 16 of 28 passing for 329 yards and 6 TDS for Central (2-4, 1-0) in the Imperial Valley League win over Calexico (3-3, 0-1).
Imperial 14, Holtville 8: Christopher Tiernan scored 2 rushing TDS, including the gamewinner with 3 minutes left to lift Imperial (4-2) over the Vikings (5-1).