Thousand Oaks football edges El Modena in Division 4 playoff

• November 16, 2024

THOUSAND OAKS – For two schools that are more than 80 miles apart and in two separate counties, the Thousand Oaks and El Modena football teams have become quite familiar with each other, playing three times over the last year with both teams winning one game each prior to Friday’s game.

The first game between the two teams was last year in the first round of the Division 5 playoffs when Thousand Oaks won and the teams also played in Week 0 of this season where El Modena won in overtime.

Thousand Oaks won the grudge match tonight in the Division 4 quarterfinals 21-14, with their running back Justin Lewis scoring two touchdowns in the fourth quarter to clinch the victory. Lewis finished the game with 30 carries for 142 yards and the two scores.

“It’s a great win. We lost to them Week 1 in a tough game,” Lewis said. “I thought tonight we played a lot better than in Week 1 and I just always kept running my feet.”

The Thousand Oaks defense delivered a strong effort in the game, holding El Modena to only 227 total yards of offense and grabbing two interceptions. The Lancers also had three sacks on El Modena’s very elusive quarterback and UC Davis commit Xzavior Guess.

The Lancer defense did a nice job containing Guess, who came into the contest with 1,232 rushing yards this season. Guess finished the game 10 carries for 40 yards and a 22-yard touchdown run in the first half. Guess also left with a little bit under four minutes left in the game with an injury.

Neither team was able to get much going offensively in the first half with the lone score for either team coming on the Guess run. The Guess score on El Modena’s first possession after Isaac Perez recovered an El Modena onside kick to open the game.

Thousand Oaks responded with a 14-play drive to the red zone on its first possession, but was stopped on a fourth down play. On Thousand Oaks’ second possession, Jackson Taylor threw an interception to Connor Smith of El Modena, but the Vanguards didn’t capitalize.

Thousand Oaks tied the game 7-7 when Taylor found Luke Sullivan on a 55-yard touchdown pass in the middle of the third quarter. El Modena answered when Guess found Smith on a 39-yard touchdown pass for a 14-7 lead after three quarters.

“It felt great to get the score. To put points on the board is always fun, especially in a game like tonight when they’re really needed.” Sullivan said.

Thousand Oaks tied the game 14-14 with a little under four minutes remaining when Lewis scored his first touchdown of the night from 11 yards out. On the possession following the Lewis score, Guess went down with an injury and was replaced by Ethan Sorenson for the Vanguards.

Following a Vanguard three-and-out with Sorenson under center, Thousand Oaks got good field position at the El Modena 37 following a tipped punt by Sullivan. Four plays after the blocked punt, Lewis punched it in with a little over a minute left in the game to give the Lancers a 21-14 lead. El Modena couldn’t get anything going on the final possession and their last offensive play resulted in a Thousand Oaks interception by Sullivan to clinch the victory.

Thousand Oaks will now host Pacifica next week in the Division 4 semifinals.

“I’m so proud of our kids. We didn’t panic. Our defense kept us around and kept them out of the end zone,” Thousand Oaks coach Ben McEnroe said. “This game was polar opposite compared to the other two games we played with them and I thought we did a great job running it between the tackles.”

Taylor finished the game 11 of 21 passing for 134 yards with a touchdown pass and an interception for Thousand Oaks. Hayden Vercher had three catches for 48 yards and Brady Beck had an interception for Thousand Oaks.

​ Orange County Register 

High school football: Early scores from the quarterfinal playoff games Friday, Nov. 15

• November 16, 2024

Here is an early look at some of the scores from the high school football playoff games Friday, Nov. 15.

Check back later tonight for the complete list of scores.

FOOTBALL RESULTS

CIF-SS QUARTERFINALS

DIVISION 1

Mater Dei 33, Sierra Canyon 13

Corona Centennial 25, Mission Viejo 20

Orange Lutheran 42, JSerra 20

St. John Bosco 31, Santa Margarita 29

DIVISION 2

Murrieta Valley 49, Los Alamitos 28

Oaks Christian 35, San Juan Hills 21

Yorba Linda 24, Serra 20

Newbury Park 24, San Clemente 13

DIVISION 3

Simi Valley 41, La Habra 34

Loyola 23, Crean Lutheran 20 (OT)

Edison 24, Bonita 0

DIVISION 4

St. Bonaventure 34, Redondo 20

Oxnard Pacifica 45, Long Beach Poly 41

Thousand Oaks 21, El Modena 14

DIVISION 5

Summit 45, Huntington Beach 14

La Serna 56, Rio Mesa 35

Foothill 38, Lakewood 35

Palos Verdes 27, Mayfair 13

DIVISION 6

St. Francis 28, Muir 27

Glendora 31, Rancho Verde 13

Dana Hills 38, San Dimas 35

DIVISION 7

West Torrance 44, Oak Park 28

Warren 40, Golden Valley 14

Peninsula 7, Yucaipa 3

DIVISION 8

Lancaster 22, Beckman 17

St. Pius X-St. Matthias 23, Segerstrom 22

DIVISION 9

Quartz Hill 55, Sonora 34

Long Beach Wilson 19, Village Christian 17

DIVISION 10

St. Anthony 20, Shadow Hills 13

South Pasadena 34, Valley View 31

DIVISION 11

Portola 14, Santa Paula 10

Baldwin Park 28, Big Bear 21

DIVISION 12

Mary Star 27, Dos Pueblos 23

Wilson/HH 27, Estancia 12

DIVISION 13

Gahr 34, Artesia 7

Pasadena 22, San Marino 16

DIVISION 14

San Gabriel 41, Costa Mesa 35

Ganesha 43, Century 42

L.A. CITY QUARTERFINALS

Open Division

Narbonne 47, Dorsey 13

Birmingham 42, Gardena 19

Banning 37, San Pedro 26

Carson 27, Garfield 17

Division I

Eagle Rock 27, Cleveland 20

Kennedy 49, Westchester 21

Division II

Chatsworth 36, Verdugo Hills 11

Sylmar 44, El Camino Real 13

​ Orange County Register 

Jake Paul cruises to one-sided decision over Mike Tyson

• November 16, 2024

By SCHUYLER DIXON AP Sports Writer

ARLINGTON, Texas — The boos from a crowd wanting more action were growing again when Jake Paul dropped his gloves before the final bell, and bowed toward 58-year-old Mike Tyson.

Paying homage to one of the biggest names in boxing history didn’t do much for the fans that filled the home of the NFL’s Dallas Cowboys on Friday night.

Paul won an eight-round unanimous decision over Tyson as the hits didn’t match the hype in a fight between the 27-year-old YouTuber-turned-boxer and the former heavyweight champion in his first sanctioned pro bout in almost 20 years.

All the hate from the pre-fight buildup was gone, replaced by boos from bewildered fans hoping for more action in a fight that drew plenty of questions about its legitimacy long before it happened.

The fight wasn’t close on the judge’s cards, with one giving Paul an 80-72 edge and the other two calling it 79-73.

“Let’s give it up for Mike,” Paul said in the ring, not getting much response from a crowd that started filing out before the decision was announced. “He’s the greatest to ever do it. I look up to him. I’m inspired by him.”

Tyson came after Paul immediately after the opening bell and landed a couple of quick punches but didn’t try much else the rest of the way.

Even fewer rounds than the normal 10 or 12 and two-minute rounds instead of three, along with heavier gloves designed to lessen the power of punches, couldn’t do much to generate action.

Paul was more aggressive after the quick burst from Tyson in the opening seconds, but the punching wasn’t very efficient. There were quite a few wild swings and misses.

“I was trying to hurt him a little bit,” said Paul, who improved to 11-1. “I was scared he was going to hurt me. I was trying to hurt him. I did my best. I did my best.”

Tyson mostly sat back and waited for Paul to come to him, with a few exceptions. It was quite the contrast to the co-main event, another slugfest between Katie Taylor and Amanda Serrano in which Taylor kept her undisputed super lightweight championship with another disputed decision.

It was the first sanctioned fight since 2005 for Tyson, who fought Roy Jones in a much more entertaining exhibition in 2020. Paul started fighting a little more than four years ago.

“I didn’t prove nothing to anybody, only to myself,” Tyson said when asked what it meant to complete the fight. “I’m not one of those guys that looks to please the world. I’m just happy with what I can do.”

Tyson’s record is now 50-7 with 44 knockouts.

The fight was originally scheduled for July 20 but had to be postponed when Tyson was treated for a stomach ulcer after falling ill on a flight.

Tyson slapped Paul on the face during the weigh-in a night before the fight, and they traded insults in several of the hype events, before and after the postponement.

The hate was long gone by the end of the underwhelming fight.

“This guy’s always had my back,” Paul said about Tyson. “I love him. I love his family, his coaches. It’s just an honor to be in the ring with all of them.”

The fight set a Texas record for combat sports with a gate of nearly $18 million, according to organizers, and Netflix had problems with the feed in the streaming platform’s first live combat sports event. Netflix has more than 280 million subscribers globally.

“This is the biggest event,” Paul said. “Over 120 million people on Netflix. We crashed the site.”

STREAMING DELAYS FOR NETFLIX

Netflix’s first attempt at handling a live sports event did not receive a passing grade.

The fight experienced streaming problems according to many viewers on social media. Many viewers took to Twitter/X and Bluesky to express their frustrations with streaming and buffering problems before and during the fight.

According to the website Down Detector, nearly 85,000 viewers logged problems with outages or streaming leading up to the fight.

The bout was scheduled for eight two-minute rounds, as opposed to the normal three minutes and 10 or 12 rounds for most pro fights.

Netflix representatives had no comment via e-mails to The Associated Press on the streaming problems viewers experienced leading up to or during the fight.

The bout was Netflix’s biggest live sports event to date, and an opportunity to make sure it can handle audience demand with the NFL and WWE on the horizon. It streamed globally to Netflix’s 280 million subscribers at no additional cost.

Netflix will broadcast two NFL games on Christmas Day and will begin streaming WWE “Raw” on Jan. 6.

The streaming delays weren’t the only problems Netflix experienced leading up to the fight.

Viewers saw Tyson’s bare butt in only a jockstrap when he walked away at the end of a pre-fight interview in his locker room.

For some reason, Netflix chose to make light of the faux pas.

TAYLOR EDGES SERRANO IN CONTROVERSIAL DECISION

The rematch between Taylor and Serrano was as bloody and bruising as the original.

The disputed decision – and the reaction to it – was the same, too.

Taylor retained her unanimous super lightweight championship in a razor-thin unanimous decision over Serrano on Friday night in a slugfest remarkably similar to their epic bout in New York two years ago.

Taylor was scored a 95-94 winner by all three judges, drawing boos from the crowd.

The 38-year-old from Ireland remained the undisputed champion and in the super lightweight and lightweight divisions. It was the third victory since the first professional loss for Taylor (24-1, six knockouts).

Serrano, who kept punching despite getting a nasty cut over her left eye in the sixth round, was the crowd favorite much the same way she was in the the disputed split decision at Madison Square Garden in 2022.

In that sold-out slugfest, they were the first women headlining a combat sports event at the storied venue. The 36-year-old Serrano, a seven-division champion, is 47-3-1 with 31 knockouts.

It might have started a little more slowly than the New York meeting, but things changed when Serrano, who is from Puerto Rico but lives in New York, sustained the nasty cut.

The injury forced the referee to call a timeout in the middle of the sixth round, and frequent closeups the rest of the fight drew gasps from the crowd in the first combat sports telecast from the streaming platform Netflix.

Serrano never stopped punching, though, and appeared to have Taylor teetering in the final seconds of the bout. Taylor leaned in on Serrano repeatedly, appearing to have trouble keeping herself up on her own. She had already been deducted a point for head-butting in the eighth round.

Taylor was fighting for the first time since avenging her only professional loss by beating Chantelle Cameron for the undisputed super lightweight title in a rematch in her home country a year ago.

The Taylor-Serrano fight in New York was more a celebration of women’s boxing, despite the questions over the result. Serrano was a little more frustrated this time, questioning how fair the fight was with her complaints of head-butts and holding as the fight progressed.

Serrano was in trouble after the sixth round, the ring doctor asking if she could continue as the wound was treated. She said yes, and didn’t show many signs of slowing down.

The pair traded flurries of punches most of the way, especially in the final round while knowing the judging would be close.

BARRIOS RETAINS TITLE VIA DRAW

Mario Barrios retained the WBC welterweight title in a draw with Abel Ramos on the undercard. Barrios was in control early before Ramos dominated the middle rounds. Each recorded a knockdown in the 12-round bout.

It was the first fight for the 29-year-old Barrios since he was appointed the WBC welterweight champ when Terence Crawford started the process of moving up from the 147-pound class.

Barrios, who is 29-2-1, had won the interim WBC title with a unanimous decision over Yordenis Ugás last year. The 33-year-old Ramos is 28-6-3.

​ Orange County Register 

Orange Lutheran football uses strong start and finish to beat JSerra in quarterfinals

• November 16, 2024

COSTA MESA – Orange Lutheran scored a touchdown the first time a Lancer touched the football, and Orange Lutheran went on to a 42-20 win over Trinity League rival JSerra on Friday in a CIF Southern Section Division 1 football quarterfinal playoff game at Orange Coast College.

The Lancers (8-3) will play at St. John Bosco (10-1) in the semifinals Friday, Nov. 22. Orange Lutheran lost to St. John Bosco 28-24 in a Trinity League game at St. John Bosco on Oct. 4.

Orange Lutheran’s previous advancement to a CIF-SS top-division semifinal was in 2008, when the Lancers lost to Tesoro in the Pac-5 Division semis.

JSerra concluded its season 6-5.

JSerra took Friday’s opening kickoff, was stopped on three plays, punted on fourth down and Orange Lutheran’s Logan Gutierrez returned that punt 58 yards for a touchdown and a 7-0 lead.

The Lancers led 28-0 lead at halftime, JSerra had a great third quarter to make it a 28-20 game and Orange Lutheran scored two touchdowns while shutting out JSerra in the fourth quarter for the 42-20 win.

Orange Lutheran senior running back Steve Chavez rushed for 125 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries. Lancers senior quarterback TJ Lateef, who is set to go to Nebraska, completed 17 of 24 passes for 154 yards and one touchdown and rushed for 58 yards and two touchdowns.

Lancers junior running back Kamryn Shingleton chipped in 71 rushing yards. Bubba McClure, a sophomore, and freshman Anhor Johnson had interceptions for Orange Lutheran.

JSerra junior quarterback Ryan Hopkins threw for 141 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 44 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore receiver Clark Cokley had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. Travis Jeffrey returned an interception 38 yards for a Lions touchdown.

Orange Lutheran scored on its first offensive series on an 8-yard touchdown run by Steve Chavez that finished a 15-play, 74-yard drive. The Lancers converted twice on fourth downs, one on a fake-punt run of 21 yards by AJ Campbell and the other on a 14-yard, tackle-breaking run by Lateef.

Taking a 14-0 lead into the first quarter, the Lancers added two touchdowns in the second quarter for a 28-0 halftime lead.

In that second quarter Lateef scored on a 12-yard run – he dropped back to pass, found nobody open and popped through a large opening in the middle for the touchdown. After Orange Lutheran’s Bubba McClure made an interception in the Lancers end zone, Orange Lutheran drove 80 yards on seven plays that included a 31-yard run by Chavez and ended, with 11 seconds remaining in the half, on a 22-yard touchdown pass from Lateef to Nico Bland. Bland made a difficult leaping catch on the end zone’s right sideline.

JSerra scored all of its points in a six-minute segment of the third quarter:  Jeffrey’s 38-yard interception return; Hopkins scored on a 17-yard run; and Hopkins threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Cokley. The point-after kick after the Cokley touchdown was wide left, leaving the score at 28-20.

Chavez scored on a 2-yard run 55 seconds into the fourth quarter to make it 35-20 and Lateef found the end zone on a 4-yard run with 3:30 remaining to stretch the Lancers lead to 42-20.

Orange Lutheran defeated JSerra 23-17 in a league game on Oct. 11.

The Lions finished in a tie with Santa Margarita and Servite for fourth place in the six-team Trinity League.

Orange Lutheran lost in the Division first round last year, to Centennial of Corona.

​ Orange County Register 

Mission Viejo football falls to Centennial in thrilling Division 1 quarterfinal

• November 16, 2024

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MISSION VIEJO —  A trip to the semifinals and public school bragging rights dangled Friday as the tantalizing rewards for Mission Viejo and Centennial in the CIF-SS Division 1 football quarterfinals.

In a game dubbed the public school “Super Bowl” in California, Centennial’s defense made a superb play late in the fourth quarter to seal a dramatic 25-20 victory at Mission Viejo High.

In the semifinals next week, the Huskies (9-2) play host to top-ranked Mater Dei, which defeated Sierra Canyon 33-13 in another quarterfinal.

Mission Viejo (10-1) trailed 25-20 as it drove for a go-ahead score late in the fourth. But on fourth-and-goal from the Centennial 2, the Huskies pressured quarterback Draiden Trudeau and lineman Fifita Tauteoli-Moore intercepted the ball with 4:51 left.

Centennial ran out the clock to reach its second straight semifinal in Division 1.

“It was a heck of a game,” Centennial coach Matt Logan said. “Our defense came back and made stands when they had to. They were phenomenal.”

Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson blamed himself for a “poor” play call on fourth-and-goal but praised his team for its season. “We lost some really good seniors,” he said. “We’re still going to go down as one of the top teams in the country.”

No. 5-seeded Centennial led 19-10 at halftime but No. 4 Mission Viejo quickly scored 10 points to take its first lead.

Luke Fahey capped the opening possession of the third quarter with a 47-yard TD pass over the middle to Cash Semonza. After Mission Viejo’s Zachary Foeldi recovered a fumble at the Huskies 26, Caleb Sylvia booted a 22-yaed field goal to give the Diablos a 20-19 lead.

Centennial responded before end of the third period with a 10-yard TD run by quarterback Husan Longstreet as the Huskies took a 25-20 lead into the fourth.

Centennial started fast in the first quarter thanks to a few tackle-busting run by running back Malachi Roby. The junior, who recently returned the Huskies’ lineup, scored on 1-yard run as the Huskies took a 7-0 in the middle of the first period.

Mission Viejo responded with an 89-yard scoring drive late in the first quarter. Hinesward Lilomaiava capped the march with an 8-yard TD run with 2:17 left in the opening frame.

The Diablos appeared to grab the momentum on the ensuing possession as Dijon Lee Jr. recovered a fumble at his 14.

But Centennial’s defense held to give the Huskies a chance to regain the lead. Roby capped the next possession with a 26-yard TD burst up the middle with 7:06 left in the second quarter. Centennial led 13-7 after the PAT missed.

Roby finished the first half with 99 yards on nine carries and had 189 yards overall.

After the Roby’s second TD run, Mission Viejo drove for a 34-yard field goal by Sylvia to trim its deficit to 13-10 before one of the biggest plays of the first half.

On the ensuing kickoff, Lee appeared to catch a surprise, pooch kick along the Mission Viejo sideline. But flags flew and Centennial took possession at the Mission Viejo 45. On the next play, Longstreet tossed a 45-yard TD to a streaking Cory Butler Jr. for a 19-10 lead with 3:10 left the half.

Mission Viejo blocked the PAT but the Huskies seized the momentum.

Mission Viejo and Centennial last clashed in the playoffs in 2022. Mission Viejo defeated Centennial 31-28 in the Division 1 quarterfinals in Corona.

​ Orange County Register 

Cutter Gauthier’s 1st NHL goal helps Ducks rally past Red Wings

• November 16, 2024

ANAHEIM — The Ducks conjured memories of last season’s wagon-circling magic as they rallied from a two-goal deficit to beat the Detroit Red Wings, 6-4, on Friday night at Honda Center.

It was the Ducks’ highest offensive output of the season and their first comeback win in a game when they trailed by multiple goals. Last year, they were the first team in NHL history to record six come-from-behind wins in the first 15 contests of the campaign.

Rookie Cutter Gauthier’s first career goal factored significantly into this comeback.

“We have a highly skilled young team who can make plays like that night in and night out. I think it’s just the confidence to do it consistently, just having faith in your skill,” Gauthier said. “As we build more and more confidence through games like these, the more we’re going to grow and the better we’ll be moving forward.”

Gauthier’s goal had storybook qualities as he spent much of his youth in Michigan playing for Honey Baked Hockey and it was set up by two fellow Boston College alumni, Drew Helleson and Brian Dumoulin.

“It was a dream come true, against my hometown team, Detroit, it was a surreal moment, and I’m just so pumped,” Gauthier said.

“B.C. blood, once an Eagle, always an Eagle,” he added when the B.C. connection was called to his attention.

Olen Zellweger scored a goal and picked up the primary assists on tallies by Trevor Zegras and Troy Terry. Leo Carlsson and Dumoulin each chipped in two assists, as did Helleson in his first NHL game since 2022-23. Gauthier, Ross Johnston and Ryan Strome joined Terry as third-period scorers while John Gibson moved to 2-0-0 this season by making 21 saves.

Marco Kasper also scored his first NHL goal and assisted on Jonatan Berggren’s goal. Mason Raymond and Alex DeBrincat each matched Kasper’s output with a goal and an assist. Moritz Seider had two helpers and Alex Lyon stopped 23 of 28 shots in defeat.

DeBrincat made the finish more compelling by scoring Detroit’s third power-play goal of the night with 3:44 to play, only to see Strome ice the game with 24 seconds showing on the clock.

The hosts had seized control with two goals in a 38-second spurt between the 11:09 and 11:47 marks of the third period.

Johnston finished a rush by tipping in Jansen Harkins’ shot for his first goal and what stood as the game-winner.

That came on the heels of the first goal of Gauthier’s career off a shot he blasted to the far side following a smooth blue line-to-blue line feed from Helleson.

“Everyone was just super excited for [Gauthier],” Zellweger said. “It was a huge goal for him, and for the team, too, it was really timely.”

Less than four minutes into the third period, the Ducks made it a new game at 3-3 while simultaneously tying the power-play goal tally, 2-2. Zellweger dished to Terry atop the left faceoff circle, where he loaded the puck into a shooting position but sold a pass by redirecting his gaze before punishing Lyon for moving off his angle by scoring his sixth goal of the season.

The Ducks had pulled within a goal and nearly came up with a second-period equalizer after they scored on the power play with 2:16 left before drawing another penalty 28 seconds later.

They gained new life with a man-advantage goal by Zegras set up by the brilliance of Zellweger. He carried the puck from behind his own net to the offensive blue line, where he executed a give-and-go play with Alex Killorn before finding the trailing Zegras, who drove the net to snap the puck past Lyon. It was the second goal of the season for Zegras, who scored an empty-netter in the season opener on Oct. 12.

“When we don’t get any chances on the power play, the crowd boos us, it gets deflating and guys are frustrated on the bench,” Coach Greg Cronin said. “It worked the other way in the second, we were getting chances and that lifted us offensively.”

Detroit threatened to pull away just 65 seconds into the middle frame off a transition sequence that was both keyed and finished by Raymond.

He knocked the puck off Pavel Mintykuov’s stick in the defensive zone, where it was collected by DeBrincat. His pass off the right-wing wall sprung Raymond for a short-side shot from the right dot. He nearly scored a second goal, only to be denied when the puck stood on the handle of Gibson’s stick as if it were a spatula.

Though the Ducks struck first, Detroit’s two power-play goals gave them a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.

Late in the frame, Helleson and Radko Gudas took penalties three seconds apart from each other. With 44 seconds left in the period, Vladimir Tarasenko’s seam pass across the bottoms of both circles found Berggren for a sharp-angle one-timer and a five-on-three goal.

After trailing early, Kasper nearly knotted the score when Strome’s saucer pass out of the corner of the defensive zone almost became the primary assist on a Detroit goal. Gibson gloved Kasper’s point-blank bid but couldn’t come up with a save on his perfectly placed wrister from the left hash mark at 7:59.

The Ducks got the crowd going a mere 72 seconds into the match. Strome won an offensive zone faceoff before Carlsson found Jackson LaCombe, whose D-to-D pass set up Zellweger’s one-timer through traffic, his third goal of 2024-25.

Cronin said his club was disheartened by the five-on-three goal it gave up, when his eye in the sky, assistant coach Tim Army, burst forth with some reinforcement for the team’s performance and persistence alike.

“He was really adamant about saying, ‘Hey, we had a heck of a period,’ and he shared that with the players,” Cronin said. “We were getting pucks deep, we were hunting pucks down and we were getting quality chances.”

​ Orange County Register 

Yorba Linda football tops Serra in quarterfinals with two huge takeaways at the end

• November 16, 2024

YORBA LINDA — The Yorba Linda football team has played in its share of the down-to-the wire games this season, but none were bigger than the 24-20 victory over Serra of Gardena in a CIF-SS Division 2 quarterfinal playoff game Friday at Yorba Linda High School.

The Mustangs (11-1), who are ranked No. 10 in Orange County, had two huge takeaways in the final minutes of the fourth quarter.

Serra (8-4) was driving with a minute remaining in the game when Mustangs safety Logan Saucedo recovered a fumble caused by an errant snap at the Yorba Linda 33-yard line.

Minutes earlier, the Cavaliers fumbled on a first-and-goal from the 1 and the ball was recovered by Yorba Linda linebacker Santiago Salas.

“They play disciplined football and they’re in the right spots all the time,” Yorba Linda coach Jeff Bailey said of his defense. “It helps us out to be in the right spots to get those plays. The heart of this group … They never give up. Every game has been like this. It just doesn’t matter what the situation is. They fight their butts off. It’s awesome.”

Yorba Linda will play undefeated Newbury Park in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 22, at Newbury Park. The Panthers defeated San Clemente, 24-13, in another quarterfinal on Friday.

The Mustangs did a decent job containing Serra quarterback Jimmy Butler, who came into the contest with 2,545 yards passing and 18 touchdowns this season.

Butler completed 16 of 23 passes for 203 yards and two touchdowns but was also pressured and forced to throw the ball out of bounds on several plays

He was also sacked three times, twice by defensive end Blake Thorpe.

“I was watching the film (and) their tackle liked to step in a little bit,” Thorpe said. “I saw that so I was thinking maybe a little push-pull, maybe a shimmy might work and I stuck to that. … and here we are.”

The Mustangs held the Cavaliers scoreless in the second and fourth quarters.

Both teams scored on long drives in the game’s first two possessions.

Daylawn Reed scored for the Cavaliers on a 2-yard run on the game’s first possession.

Yorba Linda responded with a 72-yard drive scoring drive, capped by Cole Nerio’s 7-yard touchdown run, giving the Mustangs a 7-6 lead.

Leading 14-13 in the second quarter, the Mustangs started a drive at their 8-yard line with four minutes, 47 seconds remaining.

Yorba Linda was about to face a fourth-and-6 from their 11 and having to punt the ball back to the Cavaliers with plenty of time remaining.

But a personal foul penalty against Serra on third down, gave the Mustangs a first down at their 26.

From there, the Mustangs drove to the Serra 8, setting up a 25-yard field goal from Cayden Eilers as time expired and Yorba Linda took a 17-13 lead into the half.

Serra took a 20-17 third quarter lead on a 26-yard touchdown pass from Butler to Malachi Holt.

Yorba Linda came back on the ensuing possession and took the lead for good on Nerio’s second rushing touchdown of the game, this one for eight yards.

The touchdown was set up by a 57-yard pass from Holden Nagin one play earlier.

​ Orange County Register 

Big plays a big part of Mater Dei football’s victory over Sierra Canyon in Division 1 quarterfinals

• November 16, 2024

SANTA ANA — The big play. There’s nothing quite like it. A missed tackle. A blown coverage. Speed to burn. Anyway you get it, however it happens, it can change the tenor of a game in a heartbeat.

Three big plays by Mater Dei in the first half of its quarterfinal game on Friday were the difference as the top-seeded Monarchs scored a 33-13 quarterfinal victory over Sierra Canyon at Santa Ana Stadium.

Big moments? There was sophomore tight end Mark Bowman, who slipped behind the secondary to haul in a Dash Beierly pass and carry into the end zone for a 43-yard score and a 6-3 lead. And there was Bowman again, who found some space in a seam and took a relatively short pass 60 yards for a 20-3 lead.

Sandwiched in-between, there was Oregon-bound Jordon Davison, who took a handoff and sprinted 77 yards out of the backfield untouched.

The hits kept on coming in the second half. After a relatively benign 2-yard score from Beierly that capped a 12-play, 80-yard drive to open the third quarter, the ensuing possession for Sierra Canyon ended with another Mater Dei touchdown.

Freshman Troy Bishop blocked Ashton Zamani’s punt and freshman Mykel Ramos returned it 32 yards for a 33-10 lead.

Take away the big plays and it’s a much closer game. But it’s Mater Dei (11-0), the No. 1 team in the country. They do what they do.

Mater Dei will play next week in the semifinals at Centennial of Corona.

It ended the season for Sierra Canyon (9-3), which went into the game No. 12 in the CalPreps national power ratings, but it was the clear underdog.

“They’re the No. 1 team in the nation for a reason,” said Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse, who started only five seniors – two on defense – against the Monarchs. “We’re a young school, second year in Division 1, we’re climbing the ladder. In the last 12 months we’ve played every team from the Trinity League. Our goal is to win games like this. This is where we want to be.

“We learned some lessons.”

The Trailblazers actually led in the first quarter. Madden Riordan’s interception of Beierly on Mater Dei’s first play – the first pick Beierly has thrown this season – gave them possession at the Monarch 35. They eventually had first-and-goal at the 10, but Mater Dei’s defense rose to the occasion and the Trailblazers settled for Zamani’s 21-yard field goal.

In a moral victory, Zamani added a 33-yard field goal with 4:59 remaining for the game’s final score.

Sierra Canyon drove 80 yards in the first half on 10 plays to pull to within 20-10 on Dane Dunn’s 12-yard run.

Dunn carried 15 times for 62 yards. Wyatt Baker finished the game with 15 carries for 72 yards, and he completed 12 of 32 passes for 100 yards and an interception. The defense sacked Breierly three times, with Mikhal Johnson, Ronen Zamorano, and the tandem of Jonah Nadley and Richard Wesley doing the honors.

The numbers were better for Mater Dei. Beierly completed 11 of 21 passes for 194 yards, an interception and touchdowns of 43 and 60 yards to Bowman.

Bowman caught five passes for 121 yards, Davison ran seven times for 111. Davison spent the second half with his ribs wrapped. Coach Raul Lara said it was precautionary.

​ Orange County Register