LAKE FOREST – El Toro sure didn’t look like a 1-5 football team Friday night.
The Chargers showed a tough nonleague schedule can be rewarding by routing Aliso Niguel, 63-28, in a Sea View League opener at El Toro.
Cooper Jones had 344 yards and four touchdowns on 20-of-30 passing and Marcus Blevins ran for three touchdowns as El Toro (2-5, 1-0) put the game away early with a 56-21 halftime lead. Both played only the first series of the second half, with Blevins’ 5-yard touchdown run making it 63-21 just 1:32 into the third quarter. The fourth quarter was played with a running clock.
Four of El Toro’s losses were to teams in the top 15 of the Register’s Top 25.
Fresh off a 55-14 loss to No. 2 Mission Viejo last week, the Chargers started quickly against Aliso Niguel (2-5, 0-1), scoring on seven of their nine first-half possessions. The only misses were on a fumble into the Wolverines’ end zone for a touchback, and an interception by Aliso Niguel’s Jacob Real.
The other first-half score came on Patrick Kotnik‘s interception return with 2:31 left in the half for a 56-21 margin at intermission.
Steven Castaneda was El Toro’s top receiver with 113 yards and two touchdowns on on six catches. Austin Derrico caught four passes for 97 yards and the game’s first score just 1:36 into the contest. Noah Aguilar had three catches for 49 yards and also returned the second-half kickoff 42 yards to set up El Toro’s final score.
Aliso Niguel’s top weapon was Tyler Jones, who caught nine passes for 171 yards, including a 74-yard touchdown reception off a short sideline pass. He also scored on an 86-yard kickoff return and a 20-yard run.
Andre Cotton scored the Wolverines’ other touchdown on a 53-yard pass from Nate Sorenson to tie the game 7-7 with 9:18 left in the first quarter.
Sorenson threw for 212 yards and two touchdowns on 12-of-23 accuracy.
El Toro travels to Capistrano Valley next Friday, while Aliso Niguel is idle and visits Capo Valley on Oct. 21.
