LAS FLORES – The consensus from both sidelines pregame suggested Tesoro quarterback Devon Modster was going to be the best player on the field Friday night.
The Arizona-bound signal caller didn’t disappoint in the opener, but he did get legitimate competition from teammate Chris Evagues for the game’s MVP.
Modster ran for three first-half touchdowns and passed for two more in the second half, while Evagues had a hand in five of Tesoro’s 10 sacks, giving the 10th-ranked Titans a dominant 35-16 win over No. 6 Edison in the nonleague opener for both schools at Tesoro High.
“You start off the season with a win over Edison – it doesn’t matter if you win by one point – it’s an outstanding win,” Titans coach Matt Poston said. “Our kids played well. We didn’t have a whole lot of the first-game jitters – we had way too many penalties – but other than that we played pretty well.”
Modster finished the evening completing 23 of 28 passes for 249 yards and added 37 yards rushing.
The Titans trailed, 3-0, for much of the first quarter after their first two series resulted in a three-and-out and a turnover inside Edison’s 10-yard line. Tesoro claimed the lead late in the first quarter, however, when a shanked Edison punt gave Modster and the offense possession at the Chargers’ 42.
A four-play touchdown drive finished in a 1-yard quarterback keeper, the first of Modster’s three scores in the opening half.
“Our offensive line did a phenomenal job, I had a lot of time in the pocket,” the Tesoro senior said.
Much like its first score, Tesoro took advantage of another pair of Edison special teams follies in the second quarter. After Chargers punts netted 12 and minus-1 yards, Modster capped 53-yard and 18-yard drives with touchdown runs of 1 and 12 yards.
“He makes us coaches look good,” Poston added. “He had some key plays in the game to get a win.”
Tesoro maintained a 21-3 edge at the break thanks in large part to a pass rush that generated seven first-half sacks. Constantly facing third-and-long situations, Edison converted on just 2 of 8 third downs.
“Our whole defensive line did pretty well; we got a lot of pressure obviously,” Poston said. “Chris Evagues kind of makes our defensive front roll. He plays with a lot of passion and enthusiasm. It starts with him.”
Evagues, Trevor Hassel and Andrew Cohen each had a hand in multiple sacks, while Chase Williams and Brian Elliott also were heavily involved in collapsing the pocket.
“We didn’t play a powderpuff team tonight,” Edison coach Dave White said. “It exposed a lot of weaknesses we have.”
Modster connected with Spencer Heinsius for a 35-yard touchdown pass to open the third quarter and later found Carter Jaenichen on a 6-yard TD strike.
Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com
