Assessing Tesoro’s victory

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Tesoro’s 38-35 victory over Mater Dei provided plenty of big plays that proved to be the difference in the game. Mater Dei kicker Zac Chocek attempted a 37-yard field goal to force overtime, but the kick fell short and wide right as time expired.

The Titans (12-0) play Orange Lutheran in a Pac-5 semifinal next Saturday because of these factors:

1. Constant defensive pressure

The Titans constantly stacked the box and blitzed, converting two touchdowns on interceptions. That included Preston King’s 32-yard interception return to make it 7-0 with 6:48 left in the first quarter. It also included Brett Gudim’s 45-yard interception return in the second quarter for a 17-7 lead with 10:15 remaining.

Mater Dei (8-4) quarterback Matt Barkley forced the issue, finishing 11 of 31 for 236 yards with one touchdown and four interceptions. Eight of his incompletions were a result of dropped passes.

Give credit to Barkley for not appearing rattled at least. After throwing the interception to King, he responded on Mater Dei’s next drive by throwing an 18-yard pass to wide receiver Christian Maldonado in the same location (near side of the field) where King made the interception. It showed Barkley wasn’t afraid of making a decision, despite what may happen. The next play, Barkley scrambled from pressure and launched a 62-yard touchdown pass to Ario Winston to tie the game with 6:08 left in the first quarter. But the Titans’ defensive pressure proved too much to handle.

2. Quality protection

Tesoro’s offensive line provided plenty of protection -- and time -- for quarterback Robbie Picazzo to scan the field and find open receivers. He displayed pinpoint accuracy, going 20 of 28 for 212 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.

That protection definitely came into play when the Titans faced 4th-and-2 at the Monarchs’ 38-yard line. Though Mater Dei tried to blitz, Picazzo had time to connect with wide receiver Preston King for a 38-yard touchdown pass with 4:30 left in the second quarter for a 24-14 lead.

The Titans went into halftime with a 31-21 edge after Picazzo threw a 23-yard touchdown pass to Zach Bevan, who had 11 catches for 120 yards. Tesoro also went three of four on third down in the second half.

-- Mark Medina