Corona del Mar Victorious in Solid Matchup Against San Juan Hills (2022)

Newport Beach – Davidson Field

Newport Beach – The Corona Del Mar football team bounced back in dramatic fashion, as it outlasted San Juan Hills 27-22 on Thursday at Newport Harbor High School.

“It was an emotional win, we needed to prove we can get a big stop to finish a game in the fourth quarter and offensively, we can get a game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter after being down,” Sea Kings coach Dan O’Shea said.

After the Sea Kings forced the Stallions to punt on their opening drive, Kaleb Annett, filling in for David Rasor (high ankle sprain) for the third straight game, got all the way down to the 4-yard line. To the dismay of Annett and the Sea Kings, he was picked off by Ryan Haghani in the endzone off an overthrown ball.

San Juan Hills made Corona Del Mar pay, as Michael Tollefson drove his team 80 yards down the field, having capped it off with a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Sullivan Land and a two-point conversion from himself. That marked the first time this season that the Stallions scored a touchdown in the first quarter.

“We know how good of a program San Juan Hills is. I would not call them your typical 0-4 team coming in,” O’Shea said
The Sea Kings answered with a score of their own, as Annett used a 41-yard reception to Hoch to set them up on the opposition’s seven-yard line. They didn’t waste the opportunity this time, as Colin Pene punched it in from seven yards out to cut the lead to 8-7, nearing the end of the opening quarter.

Corona Del Mar’s defense in the second quarter prevented any type of score from the opposition, as the offense went back to work following another punt from San Juan Hills. Four plays later, Annett found Hoch on a 10-yard touchdown, putting the Sea Kings up 14-8.
After both teams traded off punts, the Stallions had a chance to add another touchdown before halftime. But the Sea Kings’ defense rose to the occasion on third down, forced the visiting team into a 38-yard field goal attempt and missed it.

The stop turned out being crucial, as the Sea Kings went up 14-8 at halftime. Hoch had accounted 9 out of the 13 catches made, totaling 117 receiving yards.

Corona Del Mar slowly but surely made its way into San Juan Hills territory as Annett found his receivers and Pene kept the run game steady. On third and eight, it appeared that the Stallions stopped the Sea Kings short, but a personal foul on the Stallions kept the drive going with a new set of downs.

Corona Del Mar made the opposition pay, as on the very next play, Annett found Jordan Fargo for the five-yard touchdown to boost the lead to 21-8.

After both teams punted, San Juan Hills finally found a rhythm with Tollefson on the ground and in the air, as he eventually got the team in the redzone. Four plays later, Land went in for his second touchdown of the night on a three-yard carry.

After a big 45-yard gain from Annett finding Hoch into Stallion territory, the next three passes were incomplete, forcing a punt from the Sea Kings. Two plays after the start of the fourth quarter, on third and 10, Tollefson ripped off a big run of 27 yards, entering Corona Del Mar territory.

The play after, Tollefson added a 35-yard reception to Briggs Marquis, setting up a first and goal situation. Two plays later, Tollefson took in himself to give San Juan Hills a 22-21 lead.

After the Sea Kings had to punt, the defense knew it needed to get the ball to prevent the team from losing its second straight game, as it rose to the occasion, forcing the three and out.

Annett needed to drive Corona Del Mar 65 yards to give them lead and was efficient, as he found open receivers for good chunk plays. In addition, Annett also had a couple of quarterback keepers which either his team the first down or came close to doing so.

On second and seven at the Stallion 15, Annett used a screen pass to Hoch who eventually scored the go-ahead touchdown, giving the Sea Kings a 27-22 lead. They eventually went for the two-point conversion, but it failed as the opposing team intercepted the ball.

San Juan Hills faced a third and 13 and saw its pass ruled incomplete, but a defensive pass interference call moved it into Corona Del Mar territory. Sea Kings fans were nervous while Stallion fans were hopeful that Tollefson could lead the team to a game-winning drive, en route to the team’s first win.

But the Sea Kings’ defense came up with a turnover on downs following an incomplete that was batted down, and the Sea Kings went down into victory formation.

“[The win] is very big. It helps us get momentum and helps us go into Sunset League [after a win]. We know who we are and we work day-in and day-out and give it all our best every single play we have,” Annett said.

Corona Del Mar (4-1) will have their bye next week to get healthy, but will be back it on Thursday September 29 when it opens Sunset League play against Fountain Valley at Huntington Beach High School at 7 p.m.