Rashad Wadood leads Lakewood to 24-7 victory over San Clemente

Lakewood running back Rashad Wadood didn’t practice all week because of a sprained ankle and was limping so badly before Friday night’s Pac-5 Division playoff opener that Lancers Coach Thadd MacNeal considered sitting him out.

Not only did Wadood play, he ran wild through San Clemente’s defense, gaining 195 yards in 34 carries to power the Lancers to a convincing 24-7 victory at Lakewood High.

Wadood ran 46 yards to the Tritons’ two-yard line and Kjaye Rogers went over right tackle on the next play for the clinching touchdown with 3:04 left for Lakewood, ranked No. 12 in the Southland by The Times.

San Clemente drove to the Lancers’ 20-yard line before Kevin Medearis intercepted a pass at the two-yard line and returned it 37 yards with 1:51 remaining.

“Our offense gets all the hype but we have a really good defense,� MacNeal said. “They have an excellent quarterback but I thought we did a good job disrupting his timing.�

Quarterback Tyler Schultz completed 17 of 27 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns for Lakewood (10-1), which won its fifth in a row since a 27-14 defeat to Long Beach Poly.

Quarterback Travis Wilson completed 13 of 30 passes for 174 yards and rushed for 90 yards in 17 carries for the Tritons (8-3), ranked No. 20 by The Times. He directed an eight-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Mike Elespuru’s three-yard touchdown run to pull San Clemente to within 17-7 with 1:49 left in the third quarter.

Dupre Jordan-Roberts caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from Schultz to complete a 10-play, 85-yard drive that gave Lakewood a 17-0 lead with 4:44 left in the third quarter.

Schultz threw incomplete on fourth-and-goal at the six-yard line with just over two minutes left in the first half. The Lancers had lined up for a 28-yard field goal attempt when San Clemente was penalized for offside, moving the line of scrimmage five yards closer. MacNeal called a timeout and decided to go for the touchdown.

“We missed some opportunities early in the game,� MacNeal said. “When we went for it on fourth down I liked the play we called, we just didn’t execute.�

Schultz’s 17-yard touchdown pass to Todd Barr on the first play of the second quarter accounted for Lakewood’s first score. Alex Boy kicked a 22-yard field goal to increase the Lancers’ lead to 10-0 with 7:20 left in the second quarter.

Midway through the first quarter, a Schultz pass was intercepted by Christian Bailey, setting San Clemente up at Lakewood’s 39, but Wilson overthrew receiver Jacob Graff, and Darius Powe made a diving interception for Lakewood three plays later. Graff had seven catches for 109 yards.

San Clemente kicker Alex Alvarez missed wide left on a 38-yard field goal attempt on the Tritons’ first possession of the game.

— Steve Galluzzo

Santa Margarita beats Edison

Adam Young passed for 284 yards and a touchdown and Cory Thomson rushed for 73 yards and three touchdowns to lead No. 15 Santa Margarita (9-2) to a 49-3 victory over Huntington Beach Edison (7-4) in the first round of the Pac-5 Division playoffs. The Eagles will play host to top-ranked Mission Viejo on Nov. 26. Santa Margarita Coach Harry Welch has won 22 consecutive playoff games.