Dropped passes too much to overcome

By DAVID DELGADO

FOR OCVARSITY.COM

NEWPORT BEACH - Corona del Mar came into Friday night’s Pacific Coast League contest knowing a victory would clinch at least a share of the league title.
The Sea Kings, led by receiver Troy Reese, overcame a slow start to earn the league championship and defeat Woodbridge, 33-16, at Newport Harbor High.
Reese, who caught seven passes for 176 yards and pair of second-half scores, was Cayman Carter’s biggest and most efficient target, as the two were seemingly playing catch throughout the game.
Both teams struggled to maintain offensive rhythm during the opening quarter, and each team was only able to muster enough yardage for field goals.
Woodbridge opened the scoring when Donald Jackson kicked a 32-yard field goal, and Corona del Mar’s Grif Amies split the uprights twice in the second quarter, including a 40-yarder that gave the Sea Kings a 6-3 halftime lead.
Corona del Mar (7-2, 4-0) scored the first touchdown of the game after halftime, when Carter hit Reese for a 34-yard touchdown. On Corona del Mar’s next series, Carter marched the Sea Kings downfield and snuck it in from the 2, extending their lead to 19-3.
The Warriors (4-5, 2-2) responded with a drive of their own that culminated when Matt Callahan avoided the pass rush on fourth-and-6 and found Philip Hong alone in the end zone for a 9-yard touchdown. However, the 2-point conversion failed.
Corona del Mar put the game out of reach on the first play of the final quarter, when Carter hit the outstretched arms of Reese for a spectacular 31-yard fingertip grab.
The Sea Kings hold a two-game league lead with one game remaining.

Warriors Offensive line dominates

DeFreitas leads Woodbridge past University

 

October 20, 2012 12:43 AM

By TIM BURT

OCVARSITY.COM

 

IRVINE – Woodbridge coach Rick Gibson had been looking for a solid four-quarter performance from his team all season.
Friday night, Gibson got one. He watched his Warriors defeat University, 38-7, in a Pacific Coast League game at Irvine High.
"It was a total game for four quarters, and that's the first time all year," Gibson said. "I'm proud of the kids."

Running back Austin DeFreitas had another big night for the Warriors, rushing for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
Quarterback Matt Callahan was also solid for Woodbridge, throwing three touchdown passes and compiling 174 yards through the air.
"Our O-line came out and did big things," Callahan said. "All over the board, they just dominated and everyone played well. The defense shut them out in the second half, and our receivers made big plays."
Woodbridge (4-4, 2-1) set the tone on the first play from scrimmage when Callahan connected with DeFreitas on a 53-yard pass play, moving the ball to the University 5-yard line.
Two plays later, DeFreitas ran over from 2 yards out to put the Warriors ahead, 7-0.
Callahan hit Zach Kennedy on a 40-yard TD pass later in the quarter to give Woodbridge a 14-0 lead.
University (2-5-1, 0-3) got back into the game when quarterback Connor Martin connected with Keyvan Aminzadeh on a 16-yard TD pass with 3:26 left in the first quarter.
But Callahan hooked up with David McCutchan on a 25-yard TD pass with 10:50 remaining in the first half to put the Warriors ahead, 21-7.
DeFreitas had a 4-yard TD run and Donald Jackson kicked a 40-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to give Woodbridge a 31-7 lead at halftime.
Callahan hit McCutchan on a 15-yard TD pass with 7:04 left in the third quarter to put Woodbridge ahead, 38-7.

Strong Defensive and Offensive effort pave the way for a win

Woodbridge, DeFreitas hold off Beckman

October 13, 2012 12:53 AM

By BRENT SHAVER

FOR OCVARSITY.COM

TUSTIN - Woodbridge saved its season and showed it can still be a force in the Pacific Coast League with a 24-16 victory over Beckman on Friday night at Tustin High. Woodbridge, the pick to win the league at the start of the year, had lost four games in a row.
“We told them this was do or die,” Woodbridge coach Rick Gibson said. “We just hadn’t been playing very well. It was time to step up and do what we needed to do. The kids played really hard.”

Woodbridge (3-4, 1-1) was ready from the start. The Warriors scored three touchdowns, all on runs by Austin DeFreitas, and racked up 275 yards of offense in the first quarter alone.
A 17-yard TD run by DeFreitas, who finished with 212 yards rushing on 35 carries, gave the Warriors a 21-3 lead with 3:57 left in the first quarter.
Donald Jackson’s 35-yard field goal put Woodbridge ahead, 24-3, with 10:26 left in the half.
What looked to be a blowout early turned into a game as Beckman (2-5, 1-1) chipped away at the lead.
A 61-yard touchdown pass from Quinn O’Dell to Nick White pulled Beckman to 24-9. Blake Crandall’s 26-yard touchdown run made it 24-16 with 9:26 left in the third quarter.
But Beckman couldn’t come up with that key play to score again.
DeFreitas and quarterback Matt Callahan had crucial carries for first downs for Woodbridge to run out the clock.
DeFreitas, who also started on defense for the first time this season, finished with 212 yards rushing on 35 carries.

Woodbridge drops 4th consecutive game

Turnovers help Northwood stun Woodbridge

October 06, 2012 12:18 AM

By TIM BURT

OCVARSITY.COM

IRVINE - Northwood opened Pacific Coast League play upsetting preseason league favorite Woodbridge, 21-10, Friday night at Irvine High.
"Our kids played really well, but they're a great football team," said Northwood coach Rick Curtis. "We played pretty much mistake-free football, and that's what we needed to do.
"We had no turnovers, and our defense played lights-out. That offense is unbelievable."

Quarterback Kevin Norman led the charge, scoring two touchdowns and throwing for another to lead the Timberwolves (2-4, 1-0).
Norman passed for 153 yards and rushed for 81 yards.
"We just stepped up; our role players really played a big part in this," Norman said. "Our offensive line did a great job, and our running back John Edmond and our tight end Jonathan Albright made some great plays. The defense stepped up big, too; it was a team effort.
"It's a huge win for us. No one picked us to win. We just came out and shocked the world."
Woodbridge (2-4, 0-1) cut the lead to 21-10 when quarterback Matt Callahan connected with David McCutchan on a 15-yard TD with 11:09 left in the game.
Later in the quarter, the Warriors moved the ball to the Northwood 30-yard line, but on a fourth-and-9 play with 2:33 remaining, Norman, at who also plays defensive back, knocked down a pass attempt in the end zone to seal the victory.
"We had three turnovers in critical situations, one when we were going in for a score," Woodbridge coach Rick Gibson said. "We just haven't done that all year and they capitalized. They had no turnovers. My hat is off to their coaches and players."
Norman put Northwood ahead when he scored on a 1-yard keeper with 5:55 left in the first quarter. He also scored on an 8-yard TD run with 8:38 left in the second quarter to give the Timberwolves a 14-0 lead.
Northwood then moved ahead, 21-0, when Norman hooked up with Albright on a 5-yard TD pass with 2:56 left in the second quarter.

 

 

Cole's record-setting effort lifts Aliso Niguel

By STEVE FRYER

OCVARSITY.COM

IRVINE - Drew Westling no longer has the single-game passing record at Aliso Niguel.
It’s partially his fault that his record was broken.
Westling is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at Aliso Niguel. His protégé, Aliso quarterback Nathan Cole, passed for the school-record 491 yards as the Wolverines defeated Woodbridge, 50-41, Thursday in a nonleague game at Irvine High.
Westling, son of Aliso head coach Kurt Westling, set the previous record of 482 yards against El Toro in 2004, his senior year.
“That was Drew’s big goal,” Kurt Westling said, “to see how many of his records Nate can break. Those two guys are very close, so this is very fun.”
Cole, a 6-foot-4 and 215-pound senior, completed 37 of his 48 passes and threw seven touchdown passes to four different receivers. Seven receivers caught at least one pass, and five of them had at least seven catches. And the Wolverines’ leading receiver going into the game, Jordyn Williams, did not play Thursday because of injury.
Aliso Niguel (5-1), ranked No. 7 in the CIF-Southern Section’s Southwest Division, last week was beaten by Mission Viejo, 84-22. The Wolverines needed a good showing in this one.
“We were excited to get going this week,” Cole said. “Offensively, this was our first full game.”
Aliso’s Brendan Mitchum had eight receptions for 195 yards and three touchdowns. Anthony Ventura had eight catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Woodbridge quarterback Matt Callahan also had a productive night. He completed 15 of 26 passes for 249 yards. The Warriors’ James Carr had five receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.
Austin DeFreitas of Woodbridge rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns on 25 carries.
The Warriors (2-3), ranked No. 5 in the Southern Division, begins Pacific Coast League play next Friday against Northwood at Irvine High.
Aliso Niguel, which finished 7-4 overall last year, plays its Sea View League opener next Friday with a home game against Dana Hills.

Segerstrom defense steps up against Woodbridge

Segerstrom defense steps up against Woodbridge

September 22, 2012 12:55 AM

By DEVIN UGLAND

FOR OCVARSITY.COM

 

SANTA ANA - Friday night’s matchup between Segerstrom and Woodbridge was bound to showcase unlimited offense. What remained to be seen was which team could get the necessary defensive stops.
That team was Segerstrom, as the Jaguars defeated Woodbridge, 47-28, in a nonleague game at Segerstrom High thanks in large part to five touchdowns from running back David Perkins.

Woodbridge (2-2) found itself in great position early as running back Austin DeFreitas carried the Warriors down to the 1-yard line on their opening possession. Quarterback Matt Callahan then punched in a touchdown just under two minutes into the game.
The Warriors wouldn’t find the end zone for the remainder of the half, however, as Segerstrom (5-0) running backs Perkins and Sonny Roa combined for five touchdowns and 226 yards in the first half to give the Jaguars an imposing 35-7 lead at the break.
Perkins finished with 218 yards on 24 carries, while Roa pitched in 113 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
The Jaguars defense put the reins on one of the county’s top rushers in DeFreitas in the opening half, but the junior could not be held down in the second half as he scored on a 3-yard touchdown run with 57 seconds remaining in the third quarter, bringing the Warriors to 35-14.
After the score, Woodbridge recovered an onside kick, and went on to score on a 4-yard run from DeFreitas, making it 35-21. On Segerstrom’s next possession, Perkins charged the Jaguars down field, carrying the ball three times for 51 yards, including a 7-yard touchdown run, giving Segerstrom a 41-21 advantage.
Again, Woodbridge made the game interesting on its next possession, as second-string quarterback Michael Pritchett, who replaced the injured Callahan in the second half, found his tight end, Zach Rusick, for a 6-yard touchdown at the 4:33 mark of the fourth quarter, bringing the score to 41-28.
But Perkins scored minutes later to secure the victory.
Perkins answered minutes later with his fifth touchdown run of the game, putting any Woodbridge comeback hopes to rest, and giving the Segerstrom the 47-28 victory.
DeFreitas paced the Warriors offensively, carrying the ball 38 times for 210 yards and two touchdowns.

Capo Valley's Dossey comes up big against Woodbridge

September 14, 2012 11:37 PM

By DAVID DELGADO

FOR OCVARSITY.COM

MISSION VIEJO - Mason Dossey passed for 352 yards and four touchdowns to lead Capistrano Valley to a 42-29 nonleague victory over visiting Woodbridge on Friday night.
The first half was marred by turnovers, as each team committed three.
Capo Valley had a pair of fumbles, and Dossey was intercepted by the Warriors’ Scott Patton. Woodbridge was also picked off twice and lost a fumble in the first quarter.
Capistrano Valley (3-1) opened the scoring on defense when Jackson Bellar intercepted a Matt Callahan pass and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown.
Woodbridge responded with a 74-yard drive that ended when Callahan evaded several Cougars defenders and found tight end Zach Rusick for a 35-yard score.
At the start of the second quarter, Capistrano Valley struck quickly as Dossey hit Cole Robinson with a 28-yard strike that gave the Cougars a 12-6 lead.
With 10:45 remaining in the third, Dossey was injured and backup Matt Gordon came in. He drove the Cougars to the 2, but the Warriors defense held and Capo Valley settled for a field goal.
Dossey returned on the next possession and was able to convert on several third downs, including a 13-yard touchdown pass to Michael Mullen in the corner of the end zone.
With the score tied at 29 entering the final quarter, Woodbridge fumbled at its own 10. On the next play, Dossey found Robinson for their third scoring play together, giving the Cougars the lead for good.
Woodbridge running back Austin DeFreitas finished with 151 yards on 27 carries and one TD.