TUSTIN – Tustin’s KC Carr ran by, through and around Beckman’s defense to the tune of 377 yards and three touchdowns to help the Tillers win the Rumble on El Camino Real, 34-17, on Friday night.
Carr’s 377 yards is the ninth most in county history for a single game, and just 1 yard behind former Tillers star DeShaun Foster, who rushed for a school-record 378 yards and six touchdowns in a CIF championship game against Carson Palmer and Santa Margarita in 1997.
“I just gotta give it up to my O-line and everybody that blocked for me.” Carr said following his near record-breaking performance. “It’s all of them. It’s their yards. I just run and they open it up for me.”
Tustin’s playcalling established Carr from the opening play. Carr recorded nine of his 38 carries on the opening drive as Tustin marched inside the Beckman 10 before fumbling. Carr picked off Beckman quarterback Dean Nagle on the ensuing drive and found the end zone two carries later for the first of three scores.
Tustin forced a punt on the next Patriots drive and scored five plays later when Zech Savage burst through the line for a 23-yard rushing touchdown.
Beckman would answer back with a 34-yard rushing touchdown by Jake Grooves, but Carr carried the ball six times for 66 yards on the following drive before finding the end zone to put the Tillers up two scores.
Following a Beckman field goal, Tustin got the ball on their own 19 with 1:10 left and turned to its hurry-up offense: handing the ball to Carr. Carr ripped off a 65-yard rush to set up a 14-yard scramble by quarterback Sagel Simon to put Tustin up, 28-10, at the half.
Carr finished the half with 271 yards on 22 carries, making his 15-carry, 106-yard performance in the second half seem almost pedestrian.
