Sierra Canyon football bounces back in a big way with win over Oaks Christian
CHATSWORTH — There was no way the Sierra Canyon football team was going to lose two games in a row, at least if quarterback Wyatt Becker had anything to say about it.
Th quarterback spent the week after a loss to JSerra rallying the team, then went on to throw two touchdowns in the first half as the Trailblazers beat Oaks Christian, 35-10, on Friday night.
“We showed that we’re back on track and we’re playing to where we’re supposed to be,” Becker said. “We’re playing loose and having fun.”
The Trailblazers (2-1) forced Oaks Christian (1-1) to a three-and-out on their first possession of the game, then put their passing game to work. Becker took the reins and drove his team down the field until Dane Dunn was primed for a 1-yard touchdown run.
Five seconds later, Jae’on Young intercepted Oaks Christian quarterback Axel Eason and returned it for a touchdown and a 14-0 advantage with 8:12 left in the first quarter.
Noah LaBerge got the Lions on the scoreboard with a 50-yard field goal with roughly four minutes remaining in the first quarter.
Oaks Christian was unable to summon a productive ground game without starting running back Deshonne Redeaux, who was injured in the Lions’ season opener against Chaminade and was spotted wearing a boot prior to the Sierra Canyon game.
Meanwhile, the Trailblazers defensive line was clicking with the return of defensive end Richard Wesley, who missed the last game.
“We’ve always known our d-line was good,” Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse said, “and obviously last week against a good (JSerra) offensive line we mixed it up but we played better this week.”
Becker connected with Massiah Mingo and Dino Scordia for touchdowns of 16 and 61 yards, respectively before halftime.
“All of our receivers and all of our backs are so dangerous,” Becker said. “It makes my job super easy.”
Dunn scored, as well, on a 2-yard run but suffered an apparent injury after the play. He was helped off the field and escorted to the locker room. Ellinghouse did not have an update on his status after the game.
The Trailblazers defense held Oaks Christian off the scoreboard in the third quarter as the front five pushed forward. Mikhal Johnson, who also plays baseball, had two tackles for a loss before Madden Riordan intercepted Trey Towns.
“Mikhal Johnson is playing out of his mind right now,” Ellinghouse said.
Towns had come in for Axel Eason, who was dealing with a hand injury, in the third quarter.
“Deshonne goes out and we had a couple other guys that we could’ve used and so it makes it really tough to sustain drives,” Oaks Christian head coach Charlie Collins said.
“But I think the lesson learned is now they understand that sometimes it takes games like this to really shift the focus and understand those details and what you have to do in games like this.”
Backup players began to work their way into the game in the fourth quarter, but Oaks Christian’s Andrew Powell still managed to intercept Becker and return the pick 50 yards for a touchdown.
Sierra Canyon next hosts St. John Bosco at 7 p.m. on Saturday. Oaks Christian returns home to play Roosevelt at 7 p.m. on Friday.