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Turnovers Cost Laguna Blanca in CIF 8-Man Championship Game
BY JOHN SANDERS, NOOZHAWK
Owls lead 14-3 before Lancaster Baptist scores 33 unanswered points in 42-20 win
LANCASTER – So close, yet so far.
The turnover bug reared its ugly head and hit the Laguna Blanca football team right on the backside.
Unfortunately for the Owls it came up just a little bit short in their quest for a CIF championship.
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Owls lead 14-3 before Lancaster Baptist scores 33 unanswered points in 42-20 win
LANCASTER – So close, yet so far.
The turnover bug reared its ugly head and hit the Laguna Blanca football team right on the backside.
Unfortunately for the Owls it came up just a little bit short in their quest for a CIF championship.
Lancaster Baptist capitalized off four Laguna Blanca turnovers and turned them into points to help seal the Owls’ fate with a 42-20 victory, Saturday night at Lancaster Baptist High School.
“I wouldn’t change this for anything,” a tearful Laguna Blanca quarterback Ty Trosky said. “I was with my boys out here, fighting, and there’s nothing I would change.”
Things started off well for the Owls, who entered the game fresh off an upset victory against Hesperia Christian. After the Eagles struck first with a field goal, Laguna Blanca took the lead following a 58-yard touchdown scamper by Josh Baron, which silenced the partisan Eagles’ crowd. Following the 2-point conversion, the Owls snatched an 8-3 lead.
“I wouldn’t change this for anything,” a tearful Laguna Blanca quarterback Ty Trosky said. “I was with my boys out here, fighting, and there’s nothing I would change.”
Things started off well for the Owls, who entered the game fresh off an upset victory against Hesperia Christian. After the Eagles struck first with a field goal, Laguna Blanca took the lead following a 58-yard touchdown scamper by Josh Baron, which silenced the partisan Eagles’ crowd. Following the 2-point conversion, the Owls snatched an 8-3 lead.
Laguna Blanca’s defense was stout early on and later in the first quarter forced Lancaster Baptist to punt. The Owls further distanced themselves following a 5-yard touchdown run by Alex Furukawa, putting them up 14-3.
That lead was short-lived, however, for Laguna Blanca (8-3) as Lancaster Baptist scored the next 33 points of the game to gain complete control.
Still the Eagles (9-3) were only clinging to a 17-14 lead, which they were seemingly taking into halftime. Laguna Blanca took over possession on its own 6-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter.
A harmless play turned into a fumble, giving the ball back to Lancaster Baptist on its 3-yard line. On the next play, Eagles’ quarterback Nate Anderson plowed his way into the end zone for the score and Lancaster Baptist led 23-14 at halftime.
“They played their brand of football and we played ours. We gave it our all out there,” said Trosky. “We were playing for our season and this team never quit.”
Things didn’t get much better for the Owls.
As Lancaster Baptist continued to run off points, Laguna Blanca’s offense hit a wall and remained stagnant as it was shut out in the second and third quarters. The Eagles, after trailing 14-3 in the first quarter, scored 33 unanswered points to grab a 36-14 lead.
The Owls finally stopped the bleeding with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter after Furukawa scored on a 6-yard touchdown run following an 8-play drive in which Trosky completed four straight passes. Furukawa’s second touchdown trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 36-20 and gave the Owls some much needed momentum.
While Lancaster Baptist’s offense was playing conservative, Laguna Blanca was attempting a fourth-quarter comeback.
It got the ball with about four minutes remaining in the game, down by two scores. A methodical drive took the ball inside the Eagles’ 30-yard line. However, Trosky was intercepted by Lancaster Baptist’s Reece Alvarez on the 21-yard line, stalling any hopes of a comeback.
The Eagles sealed the victory following the turnover, as Anderson weaved his way through several defenders and scored from 50 yards out.
“It was a battle. The first half was tough for us. They ran that spread well against us. It was hard fought all the way through,” Eagles’ head coach John Alvarez said. “That is a great team we played. They handled us for a while.”
Trosky finished with 158 yards of total offense. He carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards and was 10-of-21 through the air for 83 yards. Furukawa was equally just as effective as he finished with 69 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving.
That lead was short-lived, however, for Laguna Blanca (8-3) as Lancaster Baptist scored the next 33 points of the game to gain complete control.
Still the Eagles (9-3) were only clinging to a 17-14 lead, which they were seemingly taking into halftime. Laguna Blanca took over possession on its own 6-yard line with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter.
A harmless play turned into a fumble, giving the ball back to Lancaster Baptist on its 3-yard line. On the next play, Eagles’ quarterback Nate Anderson plowed his way into the end zone for the score and Lancaster Baptist led 23-14 at halftime.
“They played their brand of football and we played ours. We gave it our all out there,” said Trosky. “We were playing for our season and this team never quit.”
Things didn’t get much better for the Owls.
As Lancaster Baptist continued to run off points, Laguna Blanca’s offense hit a wall and remained stagnant as it was shut out in the second and third quarters. The Eagles, after trailing 14-3 in the first quarter, scored 33 unanswered points to grab a 36-14 lead.
The Owls finally stopped the bleeding with 8:08 remaining in the fourth quarter after Furukawa scored on a 6-yard touchdown run following an 8-play drive in which Trosky completed four straight passes. Furukawa’s second touchdown trimmed the Eagles’ lead to 36-20 and gave the Owls some much needed momentum.
While Lancaster Baptist’s offense was playing conservative, Laguna Blanca was attempting a fourth-quarter comeback.
It got the ball with about four minutes remaining in the game, down by two scores. A methodical drive took the ball inside the Eagles’ 30-yard line. However, Trosky was intercepted by Lancaster Baptist’s Reece Alvarez on the 21-yard line, stalling any hopes of a comeback.
The Eagles sealed the victory following the turnover, as Anderson weaved his way through several defenders and scored from 50 yards out.
“It was a battle. The first half was tough for us. They ran that spread well against us. It was hard fought all the way through,” Eagles’ head coach John Alvarez said. “That is a great team we played. They handled us for a while.”
Trosky finished with 158 yards of total offense. He carried the ball 17 times for 75 yards and was 10-of-21 through the air for 83 yards. Furukawa was equally just as effective as he finished with 69 yards rushing and 47 yards receiving.
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Laguna Blanca is Santa Barbara’s premier private, co-educational, college preparatory day school for students in Early Kindergarten through Grade 12.