Skip to content
Author

SANTA ANA – Calvary Chapel needed two wins in its final two weeks of the regular season to guarantee a finish in the top half of league, and after losing their starting quarterback last week, the Eagles were in need of a spark.

New starting quarterback Sam Lak delivered, passing for 303 yards and five touchdowns to lead Calvary Chapel to a 35-21 Orange Coast League victory over Saddleback on Friday night at Segerstrom High.

“He played a heck of a game tonight; I am so happy for him,” Calvary coach Chris Cox said. “He really grew up tonight.”

With a win over Laguna Beach and a Godinez loss next week, the Eagles (3-6, 3-1) can earn a share of the league title. Even if Calvary loses, it can finish no lower than third.

Lak torched the Roadrunners (3-6, 2-2) in the first half, passing for 233 yards and three scores. Jonathan Carnevale and Payton Rogers both went over 100 yards receiving and the Eagles scored on three of their four possessions to take a 21-7 lead by halftime.

Saddleback started the second half with a 16-play drive that consumed more than eight minutes and ended with Angel Torres’ 2-yard touchdown run. Calvary responded with its own clock-eating drive, and Lak’s 18-yard pass to Rogers made it 28-14.

After Saddleback failed on a fourth-down try, the Eagles padded their lead on Nathan Martinez’s second TD catch.

Saddleback’s Torres hit Devar Ahmath for a 68-yard score, but Calvary Chapel’s Anthony Mercado intercepted a pass to end their comeback hopes.

Saddleback must beat Costa Mesa next week to finish alone in fourth place.