HUNTINGTON BEACH – Brethren Christian and Aquinas tied, 53-53, in a nonleague game Saturday night at Ocean View High.
It was a true clash of styles between the Warriors’ passing prowess and the Falcons’ running game.
Aquinas (2-2-1) jumped to an early lead in the first quarter, going up 20-0 thanks to three touchdowns from freshman running back Branden Rankins, but Brethren Christian (4-1-1) mounted a furious comeback to tie the score before halftime.
The Warriors then took the lead at the beginning of the second half but held it for less than five minutes.Aquinas got back in front and was still ahead with two minutes to go in the game.
Brethren Christian tied it on a two-point conversion pass from quarterback Conner Miller to wide receiver Jason Fuga with 1:41 left. Miller had connected for a touchdown pass with Cole Miller moments earlier.
Conner Miller had a career-high 425 passing yards, finishing 22 of 34. He also ran for 37 yards and threw all eight of Brethren Christian’s touchdown. Four of the TD passes went to Guy Demazeliere, three to Fuga and one to Cole Miller.
Demazeliere finished with 136 yards on four catches, while Fuga tallied 197 on nine receptions.
Rankins rushed for six touchdowns and scored a seventh on an interception. The freshman finished with 250 rushing yards on 21 carries.
For Aquinas, which totaled 407 rushing yards, Johnny Padilla had 65 on eight carries while Miguel Flores finished with 71 on eight carries.
