Modesto Central Catholic sets records in 66-7 Division IV bowl win

The Modesto Central Catholic football team was hoping for some R&R; this weekend — and that’s just what it got. Not rest and relaxation, rather senior running backs Rey Vega and Ray Lomas.

Neither has committed to college, but both will garner lots of attention after their efforts against Solana Beach Santa Fe Christian in the CIF state championship Division IV bowl game Friday afternoon at Home Depot Center.

Vega had 202 yards and four touchdowns in six carries and Lomas added 183 yards and three touchdowns in 16 carries as the Raiders established state bowl records for points scored, total yards, rushing yards and winning margin with their 66-7 victory.

Central Catholic (14-2), the Sac-Joaquin Section champion, amassed 577 total yards and 521 rushing yards, shattering the mark of 475 set two seasons ago by Concord De La Salle in the Open Division game.

The Raiders also set a state bowl record with nine rushing touchdowns. They scored on nine of 10 first-half possessions and their defense forced five turnovers and held the San Diego Section champions to 174 yards and seven first downs.

Both Vega and Lomas could have broken the state bowl record for individual rushing yards (240), but they were told to sit out the second half. Afterward, neither seemed to care.

“Our coaches said we’re going to show some class and let the sophomores play,” said Lomas, who scored on runs of four, two and 24 yards, the last giving the Raiders a 49-0 lead midway through the second quarter. “We were confident we’d win, but we didn’t think it would be easy.”

“We just wanted to win this game, and whatever records that come with it are icing on the cake,” added Vega, whose last score was a state-record 80-yarder 12 seconds after the Eagles’ only touchdown on a 67-yard run by Jerry Harper. Vega averaged a stunning 33.6 yards per carry.

“They didn’t surprise us — we knew they like to run; they just executed very well and we didn’t play to our potential,” Santa Fe Christian running back Hakon Bream said. “We’re really proud we got this far.”

Carter Roberts completed four of 11 passes for 67 yards with two passes intercepted, and Jake Bailey and Hunter Vaccaro also had passes intercepted for the Eagles (11-4), who had rallied to beat Arcadia Rio Hondo Prep, 30-28, in the south regional bowl game seven days earlier.

Central Catholic began taking its starters out at the start of the third quarter, and a running clock was used throughout the second half. The 59-point margin broke the record set in 2008 by San Juan Capistrano St. Margaret’s in a 59-7 rout of Hamilton in the inaugural Division IV game.

It was a fitting way to cap off the season for Central Catholic, which became only the second team in California to surpass 800 points in a season, finishing with 802. Central Catholic lost to Ventura St. Bonaventure 35-21 in the CIF state championship Division III bowl game in 2007.

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