San Clemente Gets on Roll, Sacks Mustangs

MISSION VIEJO — San Clemente rushed for 426 yards--315 in the first half--and beat host Trabuco Hills, 28-20, in a South Coast League game Friday night.

But the difference for the Tritons (5-1-1, 1-0-1) may have been their defense, which sacked Trabuco Hills quarterback Joseph Edwards seven times.

“We ran our normal defense,” said San Clemente defensive end Dylan Byrd, who had four of the sacks and has had seven in the last two weeks. “We just happened to break through a few times.”

A few times too many for the Mustangs (3-4, 0-2), who only gained 109 yards on the ground, 29 in the second half.

The biggest sack of the night came with less than four minutes remaining in the game. San Clemente’s Ryan Frith pulled down Edwards for a 13-yard loss on second down on San Clemente’s 16-yard line.

The Mustangs, trailing 28-14 at the time, came up short of the first down and turned the ball over.

“Our offensive line gave us absolutely no protection,” Trabuco Hills Coach Bill Crow said.

The Mustangs traded touchdowns with the Tritons for 1 1/2 quarters. But the Tritons pulled ahead, 21-14, on a 23-yard run by Jake Jones, who had a season-high 98 yards rushing, with 4:44 remaining in the second quarter.

San Clemente made it 28-14 on a 44-yard pass from Oscar Montecinos to Jones late in the third quarter.

Trabuco Hills got a gift in the final minute of the game when the Tritons fumbled a snap deep in their own territory, setting up a 13-yard pass from Edwards to Brandon Heaney. Edwards completed eight of 15 passes for 159 yards and two touchdowns.