Skip to content
Mark Garcia. Print Team and Sports Reporter.

// MORE INFORMATION: Associate Mug Shot taken August 24, 2010 : by KATE LUCAS, THE ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

LAKE FOREST – El Toro did its part. Now the Chargers hope they will be recognized for it.

With its 35-7 triumph over Dana Hills Friday night at El Toro High, the Chargers finish the South Coast League season in third place with a 2-2 record. Only the top two finishers in the SCL receive automatic berths to the CIF-Southern Section West Valley Division playoffs.

Meaning, El Toro will have to petition for one of two wild-card berths in the division.

“I will be extremely surprised if we don’t get in,” Chargers coach Robert Frith said. “This league is the toughest of all the leagues in the division. This league deserves three teams in the playoffs.”

El Toro (7-3) lost just three games this season – all to ranked opponents in Corona del Mar, Mission Viejo and Tesoro. The Chargers also posted wins over ranked La Habra and Trabuco Hills.

On Friday, the Chargers played like a playoff squad as they scored on five of its first six possessions, ending any hopes of Dana Hills (1-9, 0-4) of an upset.

“I’m really proud of the way the kids played tonight,” Frith said. “They knew what was at stake and they came out and played Charger football.”

El Toro scored the first time it touched the ball, when senior Kaleb Fossum returned a punt 41 yards for a touchdown.

Senior quarterback Trey Tinsley threw touchdown passes of 36 and 5 yards to Brendan Lane and Colin Kentros to give the Chargers a 21-0 lead in the first quarter. Tinsley was nearly perfect in the first half, completing 17 of 18 passes for 264 yards. He finished 18 of 22 for 277 yards.

Senior tailback Marcus DeSantis added a 9-yard touchdown run, and Fossum scored on a run of 5 yards to give El Toro a commanding 35-0 lead at halftime.

Running back Chandler Namath led Dana Hills with 78 yards rushing as the Dolphins were held to just 158 total yards.

Contact the writer: magarcia@ocregister.com