PREP FRIDAY: SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Division VIII : Lowery Throws for 6 Touchdowns to Give Trabuco Hills Easy Victory

Quarterback David Lowery threw 6 touchdown passes and passed for 360 yards Thursday night to lead Trabuco Hills High School to a 49-6 victory over Yucaipa in the opening round of the Southern Section Division VIII playoffs at Mission Viejo High.

Lowery’s 6 touchdowns were 1 short of the Orange County record set by former Capistrano Valley quarterback Burt Call against Laguna Hills in 1983. Lowery eclipsed his school mark of 324 passing yards set this season in a nonleague game against St. Joseph.

Trabuco Hills (9-2) scored in every quarter with Lowery capping his big night by throwing a 3-yard scoring pass to reserve James Aguirre with only 41 seconds remaining. The victory was Trabuco Hills’ first in the playoffs in its 4-year history.

Lowery teamed with junior wide receiver Tim Manning on scoring passes of 14, 11 and 22 yards. He also connected with Chad DeYoung on scoring passes of 36 and 18 yards. He completed 24 of 37 passes and also scored on a 21-yard keeper.

Manning caught 7 passes for 98 yards and DeYoung caught 8 passes for 98 yards. Sophomore Julian Ford had 6 receptions for 111 yards.

The victory moved the Mustangs into the second round of the 16-team division playoffs where they will meet the winner of tonight’s game between St. Monica and Santa Paula at a site to be determined.

Lowery, a senior, started slowly, completing only 2 of his first 8 passes and overthrowing several wide-open receivers. But he completed 11 of his next 14 passes as Trabuco Hills took a 21-0 lead at halftime.

Lowery accounted for all of the Mustangs’ touchdowns in the half, throwing scoring passes of 14 and 11 yards to Manning and running 21 yards for a touchdown with only 57 seconds remaining before halftime.

Manning caught 6 passes for 76 yards and Ford caught 4 passes for 94 yards in the first half. Ford’s 58-yard reception, in which he broke 3 tackles, was the best play of the game.

Yucaipa, the third-place team in the Sunkist League, avoided a shutout when quarterback Bob Taylor threw a 17-yard pass to Sean Arend in the fourth quarter. The Thunderbirds, who had allowed an average of only 10.4 points in 10 previous games, finished 4-6-1.