IRVINE – Crean Lutheran cruised to a 35-14 win over Calvary Chapel on Thursday night at Irvine High School.
Eagles junior wide receiver Patrick McNerney had the magic touch, scoring on four straight catches and had a goal-line interception on defense. McNerney finished with 140 receiving yards on six catches.
The Saints took a 7-0 lead when McNerney caught a 22-yard pass from senior quarterback Gavin Folsom. The Eagles lost a fumble on the following possession and the Saints offense wasted no time getting on the field.
As soon as the referee signaled for a turnover, Crean Lutheran darted into position and snapped the ball before the Calvary Chapel defense could get comfortable. Folsom looked to McNerney again found him in the end zone for a 40-yard pass-and-catch for the touchdown to put the Saints up 14-0.
The real tone-setter came on the next possession, after Calvary Chapel took 13 plays to march down the field from their own 30 and McNerney reared his head again to intercept a pass in the end zone and preserve the shutout.
Eagles senior quarterback Sam Lak had four interceptions. He completed six passes on 20 attempts for 69 yards and no touchdowns.
Folsom was 10 of 15 for 149 yards, no picks and three touchdowns. McNerney’s final score came from junior quarterback Jack Eliot who completed both passes he threw for a total of 31 yards.
Sophomore running back Jack Johnson led the Saints’ ground game with 91 yards on 20 carries, including a 31-yard touchdown run.
Eagles sophomore backup running back Noah Bustillos made a case for more touches later in the year with 72 yards on 13 second-half carries. He also snapped the shutout with a 15-yard touchdown run in the third.
