TUSTIN – After facing off against one another in practice as offensive and defensive coordinators under longtime Irvine coach Terry Henigan, Marcello Guiliano and Erik Terry are squaring off as head coaches of rival Pacific Coast League teams.
This time, Guiliano came out on top, as he has each of the three seasons he has been at Beckman, as his Patriots knocked off the Vaqueros, 18-13, Friday night at home.
Guiliano was quick to shift the focus to his players afterward.
“They played their tails off,” Guiliano said. “I’m really, really proud of our kids. They made several defensive stands and never stopped believing.”
The defense for the Patriots (3-5, 1-2) forced three turnovers in the fourth quarter to protect their six-point lead, recovering a fumble and a muffed punt and getting an interception by Adam Sikes via Irvine quarterback Joseph Carter as the Vaqueros (3-5, 0-3) were mounting a potential game-winning drive with under three minutes remaining.
Beckman’s defense delivered in second half, while its offense faltered and did not score after Dean Nagle found Demitrius Goods on a 42-yard catch and run late in the second quarter.
Nagle finished with 183 yards on 12-of-22 passing. Nagle also caught a pass from Sikes on a reverse pass for 30 yards to set up a 2-yard touchdown run by Jake Groves.
Groves was key in Beckman draining the clock in the second half. He finished with 126 yards, with 92 coming in the second half.
