Canyon Overwhelms Santa Monica, 70-20

It ain’t over, the saying goes, until it’s over. But sometimes it’s over very early.

Sometimes it’s even ugly.

Case in point is Canyon High’s 70-20 shellacking of visiting Santa Monica on Friday night in the opening round of the Southern Section Division II playoffs.

Ninety seconds into the game, Canyon tailback Chris Peery bolted 45 yards to the Vikings’ nine-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Tim Beidle, behind a wall of interference, marched into the end zone on a quarterback sneak.

From there, it was Canyon, Canyon, Canyon. And you can add six Canyons to that.

The Cowboys (7-3-1) scored touchdowns on 10 of 11 possessions--including all seven in the first half en route to a 49-7 halftime lead. The Cowboys’ unstoppable tone was set on their second possession when Beidle zipped a 32-yard completion to Clint Beauer on fourth and 10 for a first down at the Santa Monica 13.

Two plays later, Peery, who finished with 139 yards in 11 carries, rushed four yards for the first of three touchdowns.

“I do think it’s psychologically demoralizing,� Canyon Coach Harry Welch said of the fourth-down conversion. “When you have a team fourth and 10 and they attack you, it’s demoralizing. I know it is when it happens to me.�

Santa Monica Coach Tebb Kusserow wished it had. The fourth-down pass didn’t seem to bother him, but subsequent long passes by Canyon in the second half, certainly did.

“I had a lot of respect for Harry Welch until tonight,� Kusserow said. “They’re a good team, but good teams in our league generally have a lot more class. I think when you’re up, 49-7, and you obviously have the other team outmanned. . . . When you win by 50, what does that mean?�

It meant, for one, that senior Chris Wilson booted a school-record 10 extra points. It also meant that junior fullback David McDivitt--the heir apparent to the tailback job next season--rushed for a career-high 110 yards and two touchdowns in 12 carries.

It also meant that Canyon rushed for 362 yards and outgained Santa Monica (6-4), the Division II at-large entry, 522 yards to 241.

Beidle completed seven of 13 passes for 160 yards and a touchdown. Reserve running backs Scott Blade (two carries, 43 yards) and sophomore Mike Torres (eight carries, 51 yards) also contributed.

Welch shrugged at Kusserow’s comments.

“Chris Peery didn’t play the entire fourth quarter, I played sophomores that were just brought up this week, I play 50, 60 kids. . . . I don’t know what to say about that. It could have been 100.�

Beidle threw an interception in Canyon territory on the first possession of the second half and Santa Monica quickly turned it into its second touchdown, a one-yard run by tailback Mark Harper.

McDivitt ran for touchdowns of 25 and two yards to close out the quarter. In the fourth quarter, Santa Monica quarterback Bob Aylsworth ran two yards for a touchdown.

Backup quarterback Kevin Bialas ran one yard for Canyon’s final touchdown.