CdM football passes first-round test against Ayala
Shortly after the opening kickoff, the Corona del Mar High football team knew it was in a fight for its season in its CIF Southern Section playoff opener Thursday evening.
Chino Hills Ayala took eight minutes off the clock and punched the ball into the endzone on the opening possession, setting the tone for what would be a challenging first round for CdM.
Behind a dominant rushing performance from junior Colin Pene, the Sea Kings staved off elimination with a 30-23 win over the visiting Bulldogs in the Division 3 playoff game at Davidson Field.
Pene rushed for 196 yards and two touchdowns, his 41-yard scoring gash with just under five minutes remaining providing the first two-possession lead for either team in the contest.
“I’ve been waiting,” Pene said of shouldering the load. “I’ve been ready to go, working my [butt] off. … Whenever I’m called on, I’ll be there. I’ll do what I’m supposed to do, and it’s a team effort. We got to do what we’re supposed to, and we’ll win games.”
The junior running back has epitomized the role of the bell-cow running back, receiving 19 carries and being targeted twice in the passing game. Senior quarterback David Rasor, who rushed for 61 yards and a score, was the only other Sea King with a rushing attempt.
“I don’t think the first five games we gave him opportunity, either the holes out there or him just kind of being able to get back to being a running back, because he plays defense, too,” CdM coach Dan O’Shea said of Pene. “The last five games, now six games, I mean Colin has been fantastic. Between the combination of filling in some injuries that we’ve had and getting the offense going, it allows us to have balance.”
Top-seeded CdM (8-3), perhaps more than most, has experienced just what CIF had hoped for when it began implementing a playoff system based on competitive equity. The Sea Kings have had tightly contested first-round games in each of the last two years, including a 42-35 thriller over Downey Warren last year.
“We should have put a lot more points up on the board, and our defense played great,” Rasor said. “It was a good start for us, a good wake-up call, and it was good to just kind of get our feet under us, know that, ‘Hey, it’s legit now.’ That could have been our last game. We left it too close.”
After Ayala (8-3) capped an 11-play, 80-yard drive with a 22-yard touchdown on a quarterback draw by Bryan Wilson, it took CdM until its third drive to respond. Junior Russell Weir, by far the most targeted receiver for Rasor on the evening, tied the score at 6-6 when he beat single coverage at the front left pylon.
Pene’s first touchdown then gave CdM a 13-6 lead. He worked behind an offensive line that included left tackle Brady Sarkisian, left guard Jacob Bouda, center Chase Horton, right guard Zack Shannak and right tackle TJ Rokos.
A big special teams play resulted in a 13-13 tie at the half, as Enrique Ybanez took a fake punt 51 yards for an Ayala touchdown.
There were three second-half lead changes, the last authored by Rasor on a 32-yard scramble. After two successive, three-and-out defensive series for the Sea Kings, Pene’s long rushing score provided the breathing room.
It was a quiet game for standout receiver Cooper Hoch, who had just a couple looks in the passing game, making one catch for four yards. In his stead, sophomore tight end Zach Giuliano stepped up with three catches for 54 yards, including a 38-yard grab when the ball caromed off a crowd of four players down field and ricocheted into his arms.
Senior defensive lineman Ryan Nielsen had 1½ sacks for CdM, and senior linebacker Kaulin Post also recorded a sack.
Corona del Mar will play the winner of Thousand Oaks at Temecula Chaparral in the quarterfinals. Those teams were scheduled to play on Friday night. The score was not reported before deadline.
CIF Southern Section Division 3 playoffs
Corona del Mar 30, Ayala 23
Ayala 6 – 7 – 0 – 10 — 23
Corona del Mar 0 – 13 – 3 – 14 — 30
FIRST QUARTER
A — Wilson 22 run (Lane kick failed), 4:54.
SECOND QUARTER
CdM — Weir 11 pass from Rasor (Pene kick failed), 8:20.
CdM — Pene 9 run (Pene kick), 4:33.
A — E. Ybanez (Lane kick), 1:13.
THIRD QUARTER
CdM — Pene 29 FG, 7:00.
FOURTH QUARTER
A — Monroe 41 pass from Wilson (Lane kick), 11:32.
CdM — Rasor 32 run (Pene kick), 9:03.
CdM — Pene 41 run (Pene kick), 4:54.
A — Lane 36 FG, 1:33.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
A — Wilson, 7-67, 1 TD; En. Ybanez, 1-51, 1 TD.
CdM — Pene, 19-196, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
A — Wilson, 17-29-0, 214, 1 TD.
CdM — Rasor, 14-29-1, 201, 1 TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
A — Monroe, 3-51, 1 TD; Payne, 2-49.
CdM — Weir, 6-69; Giuliano, 3-54; Kubichek, 2-47.
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