Prep Football : Pacifica, Shockley Drop Santiago : Mariner Running Back Gains 125 Yards in 32 Carries

Chris Shockley, Pacifica High School’s junior running back, ran himself and Santiago’s defense into exhaustion Thursday night before 850 fans at Garden Grove High.

Shockley survived, though, leading Pacifica to a 20-14 victory over Santiago in the Garden Grove League opener for both schools.

He carried the ball a whopping 32 times and handled the ball almost on every play in the second half for the Mariners (2-1-1). Shockley gained 125 yards, 90 of which came in the second half.

“I’ve played football about 14 years and I’ve never carried the ball that much,” Shockley said. “I have to give a lot of credit to our line. (They) exploded off the line of scrimmage. Our line beat them.”

Shockley’s contributions also included a 45-yard halfback option pass to Ray Straughter for a touchdown midway through the second quarter. The score gave Pacifica a 7-0 lead and the Mariners never trailed.

But his most significant impact came in the second half when Pacifica controlled the ball and seemed to wear down Santiago (1-3).

He carried 23 times in the second half--6 consecutive times on what turned out to be the game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter. Counting the seven times in a row he carried on the drive the series before, which ended in a blocked field goal, Shockley handled the ball 13 consecutive times.

“(Shockley) has good instincts for running for daylight,” Pacifica Coach Bill Craven said. “He’s a sturdy kid.”

The second drive ended in a 1-yard scoring flop by Scott Parrish, an offensive lineman who lined up in the backfield on this occasion.

The score gave Pacifica a 20-7 lead with 3:05 left and proved valuable.

On the ensuing kickoff, John Peralta bobbled the ball at his own 10-yard line, picked it up and raced 90 yards down the left sideline for a touchdown.

Pacifica’s Mark Flatten recovered the onsides kick and with Shockley running the ball, the Mariners ran out the clock.

The final, frantic moments highlighted what had been a physical, defense-dominated game.

Both teams had trouble moving the ball early on.

Santiago came out in a defense that Craven said the Mariners were unprepared for, so he scrapped the original game plan and kept things simple.

However, it took a little razzle-dazzle to get Pacifica going.

Facing a third-and-one situation at the Santiago 45, quarterback Bobby Anderson pitched the ball back to Shockley, who ran a few steps and threw a perfect pass to Straughter.

Pacifica lengthened its lead to 13-0 with 1:50 left in the half when Anderson threw a perfect lob pass to Flatten in the corner of the end zone. Rudy Motley of Santiago had Flatten covered but ball was thrown in just the right spot and the receiver was able to shield the defender away.

Dana Ripley, Santiago’s versatile quarterback, drove the Cavaliers 80 yards in 7 plays for a score in the final 1:50 to make it, 13-7, at halftime.

Ripley, who completed 8 of 16 for 152 yards, found Peralta all alone down the right sideline for a 40-yard score with 18 seconds left in the half.