Rain Doesn’t Dampen Big Passing Night by RB’s Sessions

For quarterback Trent Sessions and his Rancho Bernardo High School football teammates, it was a night of slingin’ in the rain.

Sessions passed for 300 yards and three touchdowns in the first half and the Broncos scored two more touchdowns off Ramona turnovers in the third quarter en route to a 38-22 victory Friday night in a rain-soaked Palomar League game on the Bulldogs’ turf.

“I haven’t played in weather like this in a long time,” said Sessions, a senior who completed 24-of-37 passes for 322 yards for the game. “I played in the snow once in Reno when I played Pop Warner.”

There was nothing chilly about Sessions’ game against the Bulldogs. The Broncos (5-4 overall, 2-1 in league) had their aerial game clicking in the first half as Sessions completed 20-of-31 for 300 yards, including touchdown tosses of 21 yards to Rodney Alo, 4 yards to Jake Arnell and 28 yards to Charles Ensley as the visitors built a 24-14 halftime lead over the Bulldogs (1-8, 0-3).

“With the elements, we weren’t sure if we would be able to pass,” Broncos coach Tristan McCoy said. “But I can’t say enough about Trent. He’s a gamer, and he kept his composure despite the rain.”

“Coming into the game, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Sessions, who also scored on a 1-yard keeper in the third period. “We had some guys banged up, but coach opened up the playbook a little bit for us.”

Arnell was Sessions’ favorite target on the night with nine receptions for 102 yards, and Ensley added six catches for 70 yards.

“The receivers caught all the balls,“ McCoy said. “They didn’t let the rain be a distraction.“

Jason Laws accounted for both Ramona scores in the first half with touchdown receptions of 38 and 81 yards from quarterback Hunter McHargue, but a pair of Ramona turnovers led to a pair of third-quarter scores by Rancho Bernardo. A fumble recovery by Hassan Khalil preceded Sessions’ short TD run, and an interception by Zach Arnell led to a 2-yard TD run by Ivy Adair.

The banged-up Bulldogs were already riddled with injuries that sent their top two quarterbacks, among others, to the sideline. On Friday they were also playing without leading rusher Kirk Kaliszewski, who underwent surgery on his right leg earlier this week for a calf injury that led to compartment syndrome following a 194-yard rushing performance a week ago against Torrey Pines.

“I hate making excuses, but when you lose all your players, it makes it that much harder to overcome adversity,” said Ramona coach Damon Baldwin. “We practice so well all week, but then we get in the game and make game mistakes at crucial times.

“We’re doing too many things to beat ourselves.”

The Bulldogs were guilty of four turnovers while suffering their fifth straight loss. Sophomore running back Justin Villagrana came off the bench late in the third period and rushed for a game-high 78 yards on six carries, including a 5-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter, but it was not enough for Ramona.

The Broncos played turnover-free football and have won two straight after a three-game losing streak.

Rancho Bernardo will host district rival Poway on Thursday with a chance to earn a share of the Palomar League title, while Ramona closes its regular-season schedule next Friday at home against Westview.

Editor's Note: This story has been updated to correct the name of the Broncos coach.