Trabuco Hills Easily Defeats Notre Dame

Peter Burke rushed for three second-half touchdowns to lead defending Southern Section Division VIII champion Trabuco Hills High School to a 35-14 playoff victory over Notre Dame of Riverside Friday night at Mission Viejo High School.

Trabuco Hills (10-1), the Pacific Coast League champion and the division’s No. 2 seed, will face the winner of Cabrillo-Mary Star in next week’s quarterfinals. Notre Dame ends with a 7-4 record.

Burke, a junior halfback, scored on runs of five and four yards in a four-minute span of the third quarter to break a 14-14 tie and give Trabuco Hills a 28-14 lead. Burke scored the game’s final touchdown on an 18-yard draw play midway through the fourth quarter, and finished with 71 yards on 15 carries.

Trabuco Hills quarterback Tim Manning threw two first-half touchdown passes to help the Mustangs overcome a sluggish start. Trabuco Hills fumbled the ball away twice and failed to convert two fourth-and-one situations in Notre Dame territory in the first half.

Manning, however, connected on a one-yard scoring pass to Greg Hughes and threw a 40-yard touchdown pass to Julian Ford to give Trabuco Hills a 14-7 halftime lead.

Although Manning attempted just 13 passes, he completed 10 for 227 yards. Ford had five receptions for 134 yards, as Trabuco Hills’ passing game set-up Burke’s rushing touchdowns.