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San Clemente football pulls away from Chaparral

September 5, 2026

TEMECULA — San Clemente quarterback Preston Beck had a nearly flawless night Friday, while Chaparral was left with plenty to clean up.

Beck completed 18 of 20 passes, including 12 consecutive completions during one stretch, for 233 yards and a touchdown and ran for two scores to lead San Clemente to a 32-20 nonleague victory.

San Clemente (3-0) handed Chaparral (1-2) its second loss in three games against Orange County opponents.

“He’s a gamer. He did a good job running the football, getting a couple touchdowns. He made some really good throws whenever we had to throw the football, and the kids did a really good job tonight,” San Clemente coach Jaime Ortiz said.

Beck was quick to praise his offensive line of Braden Neel, Evan Juvinall, Brody Ragland, tackles Joshua Diaz and Nathaniel Nunes, and Trey Humphrey. The group did not allow a sack.

The clean pocket allowed Beck to consistently find Ryan Matheson, Jaxson Rex and Colton Walz.

Matheson had eight catches for 98 yards and a 9-yard touchdown, Rex caught seven passes for 81 yards and Walz had three receptions for 48 yards.

“They did a great job,” Beck said. “We had a great week of practice, and they balled out in the game. They did what they were doing all week. We really pulled together.”

San Clemente took a 13-7 lead into halftime after safety Cade Hogan delivered a hit on Chaparral receiver Eli Woodard in the end zone, jarring the ball loose on a potential game-tying touchdown reception just before halftime.

After quickly ending Chaparral’s first possession of the third quarter, Beck led San Clemente on a 10-play, 62-yard drive that ended with Nolan Billoups’ 1-yard touchdown run for a 20-7 lead.

On Chaparral’s next series, San Clemente linebacker Jack Weller sacked quarterback Caden Sterba and forced a fumble. Declan Sawyers caught the loose ball in the air and returned it 20 yards for a touchdown, extending the Tritons’ lead to 26-7.

Beck connected with Matheson for a 9-yard touchdown on the next possession to make it 32-7.

San Clemente secured the first victory by the road team in the four meetings between the schools.

“The third quarter, man,” Chaparral coach Andrew Ramer said. “It’s frustrating, because I know we can play better. We’ve shown that we can play better. We’ve got to figure out how we can play a complete game, right now.”

Sterba was harassed throughout the night by San Clemente’s defense and was sacked six times for 40 yards in losses.

The sophomore, who is starting while quarterback Dane Weber recovers from a hand injury, still completed 21 of 28 passes for 335 yards and three touchdowns, including a 70-yard touchdown pass to Chase Bonta in the second quarter.

Bonta caught nine passes for 162 yards. Woodard had five receptions for 65 yards and touchdown catches of 22 and 17 yards. Michael Farinas caught four passes for 78 yards.

“We’ve got to rally the troops and weather the storm and head right into it the next two weeks to get to that bye week,” Ramer said. “We’ll look a lot different heading into league when some guys come off their sit-out periods and injuries. But right now, it’s about the execution part and being consistent.”

San Clemente travels to La Costa Canyon (2-1) on Friday.

Chaparral hosts Rancho Cucamonga on Friday.

Orange County Register

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San Clemente football pulls away from Chaparral

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