DIVISION 2-A CHAMPIONSHIP : Torrey Pines Crushes Defending Champion

Torrey Pines’ boosters went to court to prevent the school’s move from Division 3-A to 2-A. But the San Diego Section Board of Managers turned down the boosters and allowed the switch.

Count El Camino as one team that wishes Torrey Pines had stayed in 3-A.

Torrey Pines, which hadn’t won a football playoff game until this season, routed El Camino for the second time this season and won the 2-A title, 38-13, Saturday night in front of 8,182 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

Torrey Pines Coach Ed Burke, clutching his championship plaque, couldn’t stop smiling.

“I’m still somewhat in a state of shock, because this is El Camino,” said Burke, who took over the Falcon program two years ago. “This is no run-of-the-mill program. These are people we’ve admired for a long time. To get a win over them is outstanding, but to win this convincingly is overwhelming.

“We could have played with anybody in the county tonight.”

El Camino (12-2) had won three consecutive 2-A titles and four overall, but the Wildcats were outclassed by Torrey Pines. The Falcons (12-2) averaged 9.6 yards per carry to pile up 364 yards rushing, 160 by Joel Brown and 115 by Josh Stern, and never punted all night.

“They’re a good football team, but we made them look like a great football team,” El Camino Coach Herb Meyer said.

If that’s true, then El Camino made them look that way twice. Torrey Pines defeated El Camino, 22-3, earlier this season.

“They’re a great team,” El Camino’s Bryant Westbrook said. “They played a lot harder than we did. We came out flat the first time and this time. I guess it’s a jinx.”

The jinx hit the Wildcats early. Before they knew what hit them, they were down 21-0.

El Camino put eight people on the line of scrimmage, but Torrey Pines ran it down their throats anyway with a combination of traps, sweeps and bootlegs.

The Falcons scored their first three possessions on drives of 57, 45 and 60. Kevin Winters scored the Falcons’ first touchdown on 13-yard sweep. Brown’s diving 25-yard catch of a Ryan Lynch pass made it 14-0. Brown scored from 10 yards out with 53 seconds left in the first quarter.

“That was a pathetic first quarter,” Meyer said. “I didn’t think we could have played worse if we’d have done it on purpose. I was embarrassed for all the former athletes who helped build the tradition of our program.”

Torrey Pines’ first punt never got off the ground. The snap sailed high to Lynch, and, by the time he gathered the ball in, El Camino’s Brian Chapman was draped around him. Lynch threw the ball but was called for grounding, and El Camino took over at Torrey Pines’ one. Westbrook scored on the next play to make it 21-7 with 7:03 left.

The Falcons gave it right back to El Camino when Brown fumbled at midfield. Eleven plays later, Mike Booker scored on a three-yard run. Westbrook’s conversion run failed, and it was 21-13 at halftime.

El Camino took the opening kickoff of the second half and appeared poised to tie the game, but on a fourth and two at the Torrey Pines 43, an illegal procedure penalty forced the Wildcats to punt.

“It’s mistakes that killed us all game,” Westbrook said.

Torrey Pines then took the ball 75 yards on seven plays. Brown gained 27 on a trap, and Lynch ran 30 more on a sweep to set up Stern’s 18-yard scoring run on a trap.

“We negated their speed with our blocking angles,” Batson said.

Lynch’s 35-yard field goal made it 31-13, and Stern ended the scoring with a 10-yard run with 4:50 left in the game.

The loss ended a El Camino run of 15 consecutive victories in the playoffs.