San Pasqual Gets Control of No. 1 Helix : Ninth-Ranked Eagles Grind Out Second Half for a 27-16 Victory

San Pasqual Coach Mike Dolan was more than perturbed at halftime of Friday night’s game against top-ranked Helix. His team was behind, 10-6, and he was getting beat at his own game--ball-control. Worse yet, Dolan was having to pass--something he can’t stand to do.

But in the second half, even Woody Hayes would have become a bit misty-eyed with San Pasqual’s slow-moving, grind-it-out, time-consuming offense. The ninth-ranked Eagles (4-0) never punted and scored on three marathon drives to chew up and spit out Helix, 27-16.

“In the second half, that’s about as well as we can play,” Dolan said. “That’s how we have to play.”

In the first half, Helix (3-1) ran 33 plays to San Pasqual’s 27, but after halftime, San Pasqual ran 35 to Helix’s 13. In the third quarter alone, San Pasqual controlled the ball 22 of the 25 plays.

“They hurt our pride a little bit in the first half,” Dolan said. “We had to pass a little, and we don’t like that, because it stops the clock.”

San Pasqual’s shortest drive of the second half was its first. It went 64 yards in seven plays, capped by quarterback Jon Ramirez’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Eric Olsen. Ramirez’s run on the conversion made it 14-10, San Pasqual.

When Helix was forced to punt after just three plays, Ramirez took the offense on a 68-yard, 16-play drive. Fittingly, Cullen Owen (79 yards in 16 carries) scored on a three-yard run. Owen ran for 63 yards in the second half.

Helix cut the lead to 24-16 on Jarrett Parr’s one-yard run, but San Pasqual finished the game by going 72 yards in 11 plays. Ramirez scored on a two-yard run and left Helix with just 46 seconds.

Helix moved the ball well between the 20-yard lines throughout the first half, gaining 202 yards and piling up 12 first downs. It was only able to push it in on its first drive, however--an eight play, 55-yard yard march which was capped by Parr’s two-yard run and set up by Ippolito’s 23-yard pass to Ale Campos.

An Ippolito interception ended one drive at the San Pasqual 37 and Domenic Lupo kicked a 26-yard field goal with 1:10 remaining in the half when another drive stalled.

San Pasqual scored with 7:24 remaining in the half when Ramirez hit wide receiver Eric Olsen on a 22-yard pass play on a fourth and four.

San Pasqual finished with 256 yards rushing in 52 carries. Andy Bacon led the way with 96 yards in 16 carries. Ramirez completed five of 10 passes for 72 yards. Ippolito completed 15 of 29 for 217 yards and an interception but threw for just 63 yards in the second half.