ORANGE COUNTY HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PREP EXTRA : Tritons Find Target Just Enough

San Clemente quarterback Chris Boden didn’t set any records for accuracy Friday night against Wilmington Banning.

Boden completed only six of 20 passes, but three of the completions went for touchdowns in the sixth-ranked Tritons’ 28-13 nonleague victory over Banning. A somewhat disgusted San Clemente Coach Mark McElroy was surprised that Boden’s completion percentage was as high as 30%.

“What were we? Probably six for 400,” McElroy said with a chuckle. “We were horrible.”

But horribly precise when they needed to be. Boden burned Banning’s blitzing defense on middle screen passes for his first two touchdown passes. The first, a 53-yarder to Trevor Insley, came on the Tritons’ second play from scrimmage. The next one, a 76-yarder to Jason Hylland, came with five minutes 36 seconds left in the half and gave San Clemente (2-1) a 14-7 lead.

“They were blitzing the crap out of us, so I said, “Shoot, I’m not going to put up with that. I’m going to throw some screen passes,’ ” McElroy said.

For Banning (1-2), it was all or nothing. Sometimes, it would reach Boden and sack him or deflect a pass at the line of scrimmage. But when the Pilots didn’t reach Boden, the result was usually disastrous.

Disaster hit Banning early in the game when it lost starting fullback and linebacker Falefatu Asi with a severe ankle injury. Allen Lalau, who replaced Asi, was also injured in the third quarter but not before gaining 45 yards in six carries.

Banning almost tied the score near halftime when linebacker Tremaine Peters intercepted a Boden pass and returned it 15 yards to San Clemente’s 20. Lalau rumbled 17 yards to the three, but two penalties and a sack forced Banning into a 43-yard field goal that was short.

In the second half, running back Ryan Davis tore up the worn-down Banning defense. Davis ran for 117 of his 124 yards after halftime and scored on a 35-yard run in the fourth quarter to seal the Tritons’ victory. Insley, the county’s leading receiver with 20 catches coming into the game, caught three passes for 84 yards and two touchdowns. Boden threw for 189 yards with one interception.

Banning scored on quarterback Ira McKenna’s one-yard sneak late in the first quarter and David Marquez’s two-yard run in the fourth quarter.