Chaminade Passing Game Lights Up Harvard, 31-12

As brightly as the new lights at Chaminade High shined on Friday night, Greg Baumgartner and Brady Mitchell burned even brighter-- burned being the operative word.

Baumgartner completed 17 of 32 passes for 234 yards and 2 touchdowns, and Mitchell snared 8 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown as the Eagles torched the Harvard secondary in a 31-12 Santa Fe League victory.

“It was just like practice--everything went perfect,” Mitchell said. “It was sweet.”

Baumgartner hit Mitchell with a pair of 24-yard completions--the second a sliding catch in the end zone--to highlight a 78-yard, fourth-quarter scoring drive that gave the Eagles, who led, 24-6 at halftime, a 31-6 lead.

Harvard (4-3, 0-2 in league play) scored its final touchdown on a 9-yard pass from quarterback Gene Kim (6 of 16, 78 yards, 3 interceptions) to Damon Watson with less than a minute to play.

“We knew we were outmanned with their passing game and the way they throw it,” Harvard Coach Gary Thran said.

Chaminade’s biggest drive was a 16-play, 80-yard march in the second quarter. Baumgartner, who survived a 12-yard sack, pitched to Mitchell 4 times for 63 yards before hitting Felix Goodson with a 7-yard screen pass for a touchdown. For good measure, Baumgartner then hit Mitchell with a 2-point conversion pass.

Not only did Chaminade successfully usher in the lighted era on its West Hills campus, the win improved the Eagles (6-1 overall) to 2-0 in league play.

“When you have something new, you have to christen it,” Coach Rich Lawson said of the lights.

Chaminade took a 9-0 first-quarter lead with a 1-yard touchdown run by Goodson and a safety.

On the first play of the second quarter, however, Goodson mishandled a punt and Harvard recovered at the Chaminade 13. Three plays later, Marty Holly, who led all rushers with 59 yards in 14 carries, ran a yard for a touchdown.