Tesoro's Run Ends in Quarterfinal Loss to Mater Dei

The last time Mater Dei played at Tesoro was in 2008, and it turned out to be senior quarterback Matt Barkley's last game for the Monarchs as the Titans scored a 38-35 victory on their way to an appearance in the CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 Division championship game.

Well, it's two years later, and while Tesoro (8-4) has enjoyed a surprisingly successful season—the Titans defeated Santa Margarita during the regular season and upset fourth-seeded Bishop Amat on the road in the first round of the playoffs—Mater Dei proved simply dominating in its 17-0 quarterfinal victory Nov. 26.

The Monarchs (8-4), who finished third in the Trinity League, decimated Tesoro's youthful offense, limiting it to seven yards passing, 16 yards rushing and only five first downs—none in the second half.

"There's no way I thought we'd pitch a shutout," Mater Dei coach Bruce Rollinson told the O.C. Register. "I knew we could play with them, but I'm really pleased with that effort."

Sophomore Nate Tago rushed for a team-high 15 yards, but sophomore quarterback Matt Adam was sacked five times and lost 37 yards. He completed only two of 14 passes with one interception. Sophomore Tanner Lancona was the leading receiver with one catch for eight yards.

WEEK 11

Tesoro 31, Bishop Amat 21—In a game in which they never trailed, but also one in which they gave up 14- and seven-point leads, the Titans rallied with 10 points in the fourth quarter to win their CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division first-round playoff game at Bishop Amat High.

With the score tied at 21-21 after three quarters, junior Blake Rodgers carried the ball in from two yards for his second touchdown of the game and senior Gabe Sciolla added a 39-yard field goal to lift Tesoro into the quarterfinals. 

The Titans (8-3) who finished third in the South Coast League, scored twice in the first quarter on quarterback Matt Adam's one-yard keeper and Rodgers' eight-yard run.

The fourth-seeded Lancers (9-2), runners-up to undefeated Alemany in the Serra League, scored two touchdowns to tie the score at 14-14 at halftime.

The Titans got on the scoreboard first in the second half when Adam  connected with junior Kyle Woolbright for a 21-yard touchdown, but Bishop Amat answered back to tie the score at 21-21 heading into the fourth quarter.

Adam finished with 246 yards passing, and Woolbright had six receptions for 116 yards. Senior Dane Johnson had a game-high 44 yards rushing.

WEEK 10

San Clemente 23, Tesoro 6—The Titans watched as a number of their miscues were cashed in by the visiting Tritons, who also used a trick play of their own to secure a second-place finish in the South Coast League with a victory at Tesoro High.

Mike Elespuru put San Clemente (8-2, 3-1 in league) on the scoreboard first with a four-yard run in the first quarter. Tesoro (7-3, 2-2) countered with sophomore quarterback Matt Adam's three-yard run but the extra-point attempt was missed.

A 22-yard field goal by Alex Alvarez game the Tritons a 10-6 lead at halftime and his 29-yard field goal in the third quarter made it 13-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, San Clemete running back Nick Pasquale lined up at quarterback in the "wildcat" formation. He took the snap and pitched the ball to running back Terrell Johnson, who had lined up in the left receiver's spot. Johnson then threw a 24-yard scoring pass to quarterback Travis Wilson, who had lined up in the right receiver's spot.

Alvarez added his third field goal of the game, this one from 27 yards, to culminate the scoring.

Adam completed 12 of 25 passes for 138 yards with two interceptions, both in the third quarter, and rushed for 27 yards. Junior Kyle Woolbright had 92 yards in receptions and senior Dane Johnson rushed for 79 yards.

Tesoro also lost a fumble and had a punt blocked.

San Clemente came into the game ranked No. 7 in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll, while the Titans were No. 8.

WEEK 9

Mission Viejo 30, Tesoro 7—The Diablos still appear to be making up for their slip-up against Tesoro two years ago, when they last lost a South Coast League game.

They returned to the scene of the crime and administered more punishment, defeating the host Titans to gain a share of this season's league title.

The Diablos won last year's game, 60-14, at Mission Viejo High.

Mission Viejo, ranked No. 1 in the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division coaches' poll but No. 2 behind Servite in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll, got the job done on both sides of the ball.

The Diablos (9-0, 3-0 in league) limited Tesoro to 113 yards of total offense, including 29 on the ground.

The Titans (7-2, 2-1) were ranked No. 8 in the Pac-5 coaches' polls and No. 4 in the county.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Adam completed eight of 22 passes for 84 yards, including a third-quarter 24-yard connection with junior Kyle Woolbright for Tesoro's only score.

Adam led the Titans with 23 yards rushing and Woolbright finished with 74 yards in receptions.

Mission Viejo led at halftime, 21-0.

WEEK 8

Tesoro 38, Dana Hills 3—The Titans dominated on offense and defense in this South Coast League game at Dana Hills High.

Tesoro (7-1, 2-0 in league), ranked No. 5 in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll, limited Dana Hills (3-6, 0-3) to 105 yards and seven first downs.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Adam completed 11 of 19 passes for 134 yards, including three touchdown passes—all in the first half—of 10 yards to junior Kyle Woolbright, 23 yards to sophomore Tanner Lancona and 17 yards to Woolbright.

Woolbright finished with 49 yards in receptions and Lancona added 31.

Senior Brandon Cody ran for a game-high 67 yards, including a five-yard touchdown in the second quarter, and senior Dane Johnson added 66 yards, including a two-yard touchdown in the second quarter.

Senior Gabe Sciolla's 41-yard field goal extended the lead to 38-0 in the third quarter.

After scoring 26 points in a loss to Mission Viejo and 28 in a loss to San Clemente, Dana Hills was limited to senior Brenden Beckley's fourth-quarter 47-yard field goal, which culminated the game's scoring.

WEEK 7

Tesoro 21, Trabuco Hills 14—Senior Jordan Alvino's interception of a pass in Tesoro's end zone as time expired preserved a South Coast League victory for his team, which rallied from a 14-point deficit with 21 points in the game's final 12-plus minutes at Trabuco Hills High.

Not everybody saw it that way, however, as Trabuco Hills' coaches argued that their player, Lucas Hoover, came down with Jonathan Newsom's pass for a touchdown, only to have Alvino rip the ball from his hands.

But the referees ruled it an interception, the fourth of the game for the Titans, who came into the game ranked No. 5  in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll and No. 9 in the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division coaches' poll.

Tesoro (6-1, 1-0 in league), coming off a bye week, trailed at halftime, 7-0, and was behind 14-0 before senior Lucas Gonzales returned a punt 69 yards for a touchdown on the final play of the third quarter to cut the deficit to 14-7.

Senior running back Dane Johnson made his first appearance in the fourth quarter and two-yard run tied the score at 14-14 with 5:28 left to play.

Tesoro forced the Mustangs (4-4, 0-2)  to punt on their next possession and Gonzales came up with another big return, this one for 44 yards to the Trabuco Hills 16.

Johnson's 15-yard run took it to the one-yard line and, two plays later, he scored to give the Titans a 21-14 lead with 2:32 left.

Johnson carried 12 times for a game-high 70 yards and two touchdowns, all in the fourth quarter.

Senior Troy Graves led Tesoro's defense with one of its four interceptions and two of its six sacks.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Adam completed six of 11 passes for 31 yards with one interception. He was sacked four times.

WEEK 6

Bye.

WEEK 5

Tesoro 49, Burroughs 13—Sophomores Nate Tago and Matt Adams each rushed for a touchdown and connected on a touchdown pass play in this nonleague game at Burroughs High in Ridgecrest.

The Titans (5-1), who were ranked No. 5 in the O.C. Sportswriters' county poll, kept the defensive pressure on the Burros as senior Sean O'Grady recorded two sacks.

WEEK 4

Tesoro 42, West Adams Prep 14—The Titans (4-1) came oh-so-close to holding their visiting nonleague opponent to minus seven yards rushing, but a 14-yard gain by the Panthers in the final minute ended that dream.

Senior Skyler Cracraft's blocked punt on the game's opening drive set up Tesoro's first score, which was a three-yard run by sophomore Nate Tago, who finished with a game-high 171 yards in 27 carries.

Senior Brandon Cody added 91 rushing yards, including a one-yard touchdown for the game's final score, and senior Cole Hutton contributed a one-yard score on his only carry of the game.

Sophomore quarterback Matt Adam rushed for 24 yards, including a one-yard touchdown, and threw for 122 yards, including touchdowns of eight yards to sophomore Tanner Lancona, who had a team-high 54 receiving yards, and 35 yards to junior Michael McQueen.

WEEK 3

Tesoro 59, South Hills 6—Rebounding from a tough one-point loss the previous week, the Titans scored 51 unanswered points en route to another nonleague victory at home.

Before the offense could take the field, Tesoro (3-1) had an 8-0 lead after South Hills' punter fumbled a snap in the end zone and senior Andrew Facon took the ensuing free kick 75 yards for a touchdown.

After recovering a Titan fumble in the second quarter, the Huskies scored on an 83-yard pass play but missed the two-point conversion and still trailed, 8-6. That's as close as they would get.

Tesoro scored the next 51 points, beginning with a 17-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Matt Adam to sophomore receiver Tanner Lancona. A successful two-point attempt gave the Titans a 16-6 lead at halftime.

Adam completed 13 of 19 passes for 171 yards and two touchdowns--his second was a 29-yarder to Lancona in the third quarter—and carried the ball for a game-high 74 yards.

Lancona led all receivers with 92 yards.

Senior Nolan Muchow returned an interception 36 yards for a score and senior Brandon Cody, sophomore Nate Tago, senior Gabe Sciolla and senior Zach Kretzschmar had touchdown runs in the second half.

WEEK 2

Chino Hills 14, Tesoro 13—After their emotionally charged victory in the "Rumble at the Ranch," it was no surprise that the Titans came out flat in their nonleague game at Chino Hills High.

Though Tesoro managed to shut down standout running back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, limiting him to 26 yards in 10 carries, it couldn't stop junior quarterback Andrew Chavez or overcome critical mistakes.

Tesoro (2-1) opened the scoring in the first quarter when sophomore Nate Tago caught a screen pass from sophomore quarterback Matt Adam and carried it 45 yards. In the second quarter, Adam connected with junior Kyle Woolbright on a nine-yard scoring play. A missed extra point, however, left the Titans with a 13-0 lead.

Chavez connected with Ekpre-Olomu on an 11-yard scoring pass with less than a minute left in the first half to cut the deficit to 13-7.

Tesoro turned the ball over twice in the first half in Huskies' territory on a fumble and a pass interception.

Neither team scored in the third quarter.

A forced fumble on a fourth-and-eight pass attempt by Chino Hills in the fourth quarter was recovered by Tesoro and carried down the field. However, the ball was re-fumbled and recovered by Chino Hills at its 20. Chavez's one yard run tied the score, and the extra-point kick gave the Huskies a one-point lead.

Tesoro missed a 45-yard field goal attempt with less than two minutes left.

Adam completed 14 of 28 passes for 194 yards and Tago led the ground game with 39 yards. Woolbright had a game-high 72 yards in receptions.

WEEK 1

Tesoro 32, Santa Margarita 21—Already a big game in the community between schools that are only five miles apart—it was broadly billed as the "Rumble at the Ranch"—Brian Barnes decided he would make the nonleague game even more special.

For the first time in his four seasons as the Titans' coach, Barnes broke out the red jerseys instead of the home blues.

His strategy almost backfired.

Tesoro's young players came out so hyped that they were penalized, then gave up two quick touchdowns to Santa Margarita (2-0).

"It might have hurt us at the beginning," Barnes told ESPN.com of his choice of team attire. "We came out with so much emotion. They psyched themselves out of playing. As the game went on, they slowed down and started playing the football they've been taught to play."

Sophomore quarterback Matt Adam completed only 10 of 23 passes for 110 yards with two interceptions. But he did rush for 68 yards.

After Santa Margarita took a 14-0 lead, Tesoro senior Skyler Cracraft (his sophomore brother River plays for the Eagles) recovered a fumble at the Titans' 48. Sophomore running back Nate Tago scored the first of his four touchdowns, from three yards, to cut the deficit in half at halftime.

Santa Margarita returned the second-half kickoff 99 yards to extend its lead to 21-7, but Tesoro (2-0) responded with a four-yard touchdown run by Tago to make the score 21-13.

The Titans recovered four of Santa Margarita's six fumbles and junior Kyle Woolbright intercepted a pass. Of those turnovers, which led to 27 points, two were particularly important.

Senior Nolan Muchow recovered a fumble at the Santa Margarita 10-yard line, which led to Tago's one-yard touchdown run that brought the Titans to within 21-19.

On the Eagles' next possession, Tesoro senior cornerback Andrew Facon scooped up a fumble and took it 51 yards for a 26-21 lead.

Woolbright intercepted a Santa Margarita pass with just over three minutes left to play.

Tago, who finished with 93 yards in 16 carries, supplied the final blow with his fourth touchdown, this one from five yards.

The matchup took on some extra spice when O.C. Register columnist Steve Fryer wrote in his preview:

"There is a Tesoro connection, as an indirect source of information, to the CIF-Southern Section office's finding that Santa Margarita in the spring held a football-centric open house, which is a violation that got new Santa Margarita coach Harry Welch into some hot water. South county athletics sometime have a soap-opera angle that can be quite entertaining."

ZERO WEEK

Tesoro 54, Cerritos Valley Christian 0—Not a bad way to break in a new quarterback or a new season.

On the Titans' first possession, sophomore Matt Adam broke free for a 33-yard touchdown and the rout was on in the nonleague season-opener at Tesoro High.

Adam, who served as backup quarterback last season, completed seven of 13 passes for 84 yards and rushed for 61 yards, including another touchdown from 39 yards in the second quarter.

The Titans are hoping to bounce back from their 2009 season, when they finished fourth in the South Coast League and missed the playoffs. The previous season, Tesoro reached the CIF-Southern Section Pac-5 Division championship game after going undefeated in league.

Sophomore Nate Tago rushed for a game-high 108 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run, and junior Kyle Woolbright, an all-league selection last season, led Tesoro with 50 yards in receptions.

Senior Josh Brunnell ran for a seven-yard touchdown and sophomore Zach Schottenfeld kicked a 39-yard field goal.

The Titans' defense forced five turnovers, including four interceptions, and accounted for three touchdowns: senior Jordan Alvino returned an interception 70 yards, senior Eric Law recovered a fumble and returned it 23 yards and senior Ryan Dunne had an interception return for 35 yards for the final score.