El Toro’s better for playing -- and the time off

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Only one of the three Sea View League games scheduled for Monday was played -- the other two were forfeitures -- and El Toro Coach Jake Haley couldn’t have been happier that his team was involved in it.

The Chargers won, 34-22, at Huntington Beach to remain atop the league standings, tied with Trabuco Hills. Jai Morris rushed for three touchdowns ‘on some pretty incredible runs,’ Haley said, as El Toro built a 28-0 lead. Morris scored runs of 38, 24 and 19 yards. He carried 11 times for 129 yards.

Just as importantly, with a game looming Friday against Foothill, El Toro was able to go to its bench after the first drive of the second half.

But what really pleased -- and impressed -- Haley was his team’s intensity.

‘To be honest, we had our best game,’ he said. ‘We were more physical than we’ve been, we were faster on the field, we were hitting harder than we’ve hit all year. At this point, 60 practices into the season, our guys were totally hungry to get into the saddle and play football. The guys were awesome. They were flying around, caused five turnovers.’

Because of Southern California wildfires that caused massive postponements or cancellations in Orange County, teams were prohibited from practicing much of last week because of poor air quality. With its proximity to the Santiago Canyon fire, El Toro was among those schools at the front line. The school was even used as an evacuation center and classes were canceled Thursday and Friday. El Toro last played a game on Oct. 19, and last did any aerobic work as a unit on Oct. 20.

‘When we did finally get together, it was awesome, the power of a team, and it was great to see,’ Haley said. ‘For a kid who plays and is passionate for the game, this is not just something they do, it’s something they love. And if it’s taken away from you for 10 days, you’re even that much more hungry to get back on the field.’

-- Martin Henderson