Navarro’s Passing Leads Orange Glen Past San Pasqual

Moments after erasing Cree Morris’ name from the Orange Glen High School record book, Omar Navarro said the school record for career passing yardage was the farthest thing from his mind.

“I’m not interested in how far I can take the record,” Navarro said, “I’m interested in how far I can take this team.”

Saturday night in front of about 3,000, Navarro took his team to a 20-13 victory over rival San Pasqual in the annual Battle for the Bear, a carved wooden bear that goes to the winner.

The victory was Orange Glen’s seventh in the past eight years against San Pasqual.

But back to Navarro, a 5-foot-6 senior who completed 16 of 28 passes for 179 yards. How far can he take this team?

“As far as they want to go,” Navarro said. “We’ve got the talent.”

Navarro took third-ranked Orange Glen to the 3-A San Diego Section finals last year. He’s trying for a repeat performance. The Patriots (3-0) begin their journey in earnest next week when they play third-ranked Vista--which upset No. 1 Morse on Friday--in the Palomar League opener.

San Pasqual fell to 2-1. Both teams had five turnovers.

Navarro needed 48 yards to surpass Morris. Navarro now has 3,419, 10th all-time in the San Diego Section, and is two yards shy of Valhalla’s Chadde Wolf (1984-85) for the ninth position.

Navarro entered the game with six touchdown passes and ended with just as many. But his completions came at key moments, and Joaquin Randall, who scored two touchdowns, did much of the rest.

Randall’s second effort from the one-yard line pulled Orange Glen to within three points, 13-10, in the second quarter.

But the drive was highlighted by consecutive passes of 30 and 28 yards from Navarro to Kris Plash. The 28-yarder gave Navarro the school record.

“It’s neat for him to get the individual recognition,” OG Coach Rob Gilster said, “but it’s neat for (linemen) Donald Fluegge and Bob Williams and Plash. It’s their record, too. All those guys have a piece of the record.”

Randall finished with 24 carries for 123 yards.

Down 13-10 at halftime, Orange Glen scored on the first drive of the second half. Randall rushed for 50 of the 85 yards.

Aaron Blake added a 37-yard field goal to his 28-yarder in the first quarter to close out Orange Glen’s scoring.

San Pasqual took the 13-10 lead into halftime on the strength of scoring runs by Desale Wallace (20 yards) and Mike Walters (nine yards).

Navarro finished the first half 10 of 17 for 150 yards.