Nearing the end of the first half, the Torrey Pines Falcons (3-1) and El Camino Wildcats (1-3) were locked in a stalemate, both teams unable to score. Yet, with three minutes remaining in the half, Falcons running back Sully O’Brien snatched an inside hand-off from quarterback Johnny Hastings and dashed 62 yards into El Camino’s end zone, untouched by Wildcat defenders.
“I didn’t really have to do much [to score],” O’Brien said. “It was all the offensive line. I just outran one man, and it was really easy.”
O’Brien’s touchdown was the only one of the night, with the game finishing in a 7-3 victory for the Falcons.
In the final half of the fourth quarter, Torrey Pines held possession for nearly six minutes, driving the ball 75 yards down the field in 13 gaining plays.
“Offensively, we needed to possess the ball and eat at the clock,” head coach Ron Gladnick said. “At the end, we took possession of the ball five minutes and forty seconds left and never gave it back — just drove the ball down their throat.”
The Wildcats had multiple chances to reach the Falcons’ end zone in the second and third quarters, but could only score one field goal due to a strong defensive front put on by Torrey Pines. According to Gladnick, the momentum truly shifted when El Camino was deep in Falcon territory but “couldn’t score, couldn’t get it done.”
“Our defense played an amazing football game,” Gladnick said. “To give up only three points against that team is such a great accomplishment, and our defensive coordinator did such a good job having the boys ready to play.”
Wildcat running back sophomore Christopher Brown, who already has four PAC-12 offers, consistently drove El Camino’s offense forward by making consecutive plays throughout the game. However, the Wildcats could never take advantage of the opportunities Brown created.
“They’re a very talented team,” Gladnick said. “[Brown] is one of the best running backs in the county, so obviously a big focus was stopping him and making them have to go to other players to win the game.”
According to defensive back Andre Meiers, who prevented a number of Wildcat passes from being completed, once the Falcons put a cap on Brown, they were able to control the game.
“We really were just flying around, … working together as a team,” Meiers said. “From the beginning, we just came out flying, and we just dominated the whole game.”
Torrey Pines faces Westview High School on Sept. 23 at home, and El Camino will play San Marcos High School on Sept. 23 at home as well.
