Perry’s Heroics Help Escondido Tie San Clemente

Joe Perry threw three touchdown passes in the second half to rally Escondido High School to a 27-27 tie with San Clemente Friday night in a nonleague game played in Thalassa Stadium at San Clemente.

Perry’s four-yard pass to Arnie Spiker with 3:04 left tied the game. The Cougars (1-1-1) then narrowly missed a win when the extra point attempt by Mike Hopkins was wide right.

Perry, who completed 10 of 21 passes for 201 yards, offset a brilliant performance by San Clemente quarterback Alex Baker, who ran for three touchdowns and threw for a fourth.

The senior led the Tritons (1-1-1) to a 21-0 halftime lead with touchdown runs of 15 and 10 yards and a 28-yard scoring pass to Todd Sufferidge--all coming in the second period.

Baker completed 8 of 16 passes for 214 yards and was intercepted twice.

His third touchdown run, a 10-yarder in the fourth quarter, put the Tritons ahead, 27-21, with 6:03 left to play.

But Escondido rallied again, as the Cougars tied it, 27-27, on a 9-play, 62-yard drive. Perry, who didn’t play in the first half, started the Cougars’ comeback with an 83-yard scoring pass to Hopkins early in the third quarter.

Moments later, following a Triton fumble, Figgy Figueroa scored on an 11-yard run. Perry then tied the score at 21-21 with a 50-yard touchdown pass to Scott Weedman.

San Clemente’s Rob Buhler led all rushers with 58 yards on 9 carries.

“We were a little flat coming out after the first half,” Allie Schaaf, San Clemente coach, said. “It was our mistakes that killed us. Escondido is an excellent team. I never really thought we had the game won, even when we were ahead 21-0.”