Mini NFL face-off as pastors' teams battle

In the latest matchup between the Chargers and the Rams, it was the Chargers who prevailed last night.

Only this time, it was a proxy war. Former L.A. Rams player Rob Scribner sent his Santa Monica Christian school team to battle against The Rock Academy of Point Loma, a school overseen by former Charger Miles McPherson.

Of course, Scribner, from 1970s NFL, never played in person against McPherson, of the ‘80s. Both of them are now senior pastors in their respective cities, and when their schools clashed last night, NFL sparks flew. McPherson’s team won 42-8 against the Saints of Lighthouse Christian Academy.

From the beginning, it was an uneven match. The Warriors, who for 10 years played the more demanding 11-man football and this year eased into the 8-man version for smaller schools, showed their dominance from the first.

Better organized, more efficient, with bigger players, they were winning 35-0 by halftime. One receiver made a spectacular one-handed touchdown reception that sparked exultant jubilation among fans at the San Diego football field.

With a roster filled with beginners, the Saints missed blocks, fumbled footballs and hiked poorly. But the undermanned Saints have characterized their game by a never-say-die attitude.

In the fourth quarter, a gun sprint pass to Senior Tex Hagoski gave Lighthouse its touchdown. In the two point conversion attempt, Hagoski received a pass on an out run and thudded and twirled his way through four defenders to complete the score.

In all, Hagoski ran 170 all-purpose yards for his team.

Considering the Warriors won their previous game 72-6, the Saints felt their result was respectable.

Neither Pastor McPherson nor Pastor Scribner showed for face-off between the schools of these former stars. But Pastor Scribner’s son was the Saints’ coach.

“Our guys hung in there. They fought hard. They shouldn’t feel bad at all,” said LCA Coach Zach Scribner. “The other team are the ones that should feel bad about the scoreboard. They only put up 42 points. We had a lot of mistakes. We could have put up two touchdowns against their starting defense had we not had those mistakes.”

Captain Robert Ashcraft agreed. “We improved a lot from last game,” he said. “We’ve got to buckle down this week. We’ve got to work hard this week. We hardly worked last week at practice, and we improved a lot. We have a lot of potential.”