SAN CLEMENTE – On a night when its quarterback wasn’t quite in rhythm passing, San Clemente turned to its ground game for a big first-half start in a nonleague game against Newport Harbor.
Jack Sears, who had completed 84 percent of his passes over the past three weeks, hit 14 of 25 passes against the Sailors and threw an interception, but his legs were working even better.
Sears and running back Vlad Dzhabiyev combined for 263 first-half rushing yards and Sears accounted for all six of the Tritons’ touchdowns in a 40-20 win Friday night at San Clemente High.
Dzhabiyev paced the offense with 169 yards on 10 first-half carries. His lone second-half carry netted no gain. Sears scored four rushing touchdowns and threw for two more.
“Going in, we wanted to establish the run,” Tritons coach Jaime Ortiz said. “Our passing game wasn’t top notch like it had been over the past couple weeks, but in order to win a championship, we have to be able to run the ball and they did it well tonight.”
The Tritons (4-1) have scored 40 or more points in each of the past four weeks.
Sears, who missed on four of his first six passes, found the end zone on runs of 34 and 28 yards to put the Tritons ahead 14-0 in the first quarter. He then hit Brandon Reaves for a 10-yard TD pass.
Though the Sailors (2-2) got 72 first-half yards from running back Cole Kinder, they struggled to find the end zone, turning the ball over once at San Clemente’s 4-yard line. That led to a 13-yard TD run by Sears, which was set up by a 76-yard run by Dzhabiyev.
“We just didn’t stick the ball in the end zone,” Sailors coach Jeff Brinkley said. “We’ve got to be better in the red zone and when we get opportunities, we have to put up points.”
Newport Harbor scored its lone TD on the opening series of the second half. Gage Roberson scored on a 1-yard run, capping a 10-play, 65-yard drive.
Sears hit Reaves for a 13-yard TD on San Clemente’s ensuing possession and added his fourth rushing TD early in the fourth quarter.
Newport Harbor quarterback Michael Bonds, who completed 15 of 31 passes for 176 yards and an interception, added two late rushing touchdowns.
San Clemente’s Bryce Wilson and Newport Harbor’s Dalton Rosene had interceptions.
Contact the writer: npercy@ocregister.com
