MISSION VIEJO – It took just a few touches to realize that there would be no stopping JSerra’s Edward Vander on this night.
Vander ran for 231 yards and six touchdowns as No. 3 JSerra shut out St. Paul of Santa Fe Springs, 52-0, in a nonleague game at Saddleback College.
Vander’s six touchdowns marked a JSerra record. He had already broken the school record with five against Huntington Beach earlier this season.
“The more carries we give him, the more he seems to heat up,” Lions coach Jim Hartigan said. “He’s a guy that can be explosive.”
The Swordsmen (3-2) stayed with the Lions (5-0) early. JSerra held a slim 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Vander’s second touchdown of the night doubled the Lions’ lead, before St. Paul found some rhythm in the passing game.
Quarterback Jacob Maier gained three first downs, including a 25-yard pass to David Castillo to get into the red zone. JSerra had the answer, receiving back-to-back sacks from DJ Bailey to take St. Paul out of field-goal range.
Bailey was part of a dominant defense that recorded eight sacks. He led the Lions with five sacks, while Aaron Matthews had a sack and three tackles for a loss.
Vander finished the first half with a 35-yard dash to the end zone for his third score. An Ethan Worden field goal made it 24-0 at halftime.
After that, Vander’s runs became bigger and more explosive. He scored touchdowns of 53 and 49 yards on the first play of each of the Lions’ opening two possessions of the second half.
Riley O’Brien added a 58-yard rushing score for JSerra in the fourth quarter.
