ORANGE – Canyon beat up on mistake-prone Katella, 61-21, in the second round of the CIF-SS Southern Division football playoffs Saturday at El Modena High.
The Comanches (7-5) put the lights out on the Knights’ season with a display of superb passing by quarterback Jason Harman, tough running by Charlie Treanor and a stout defense that stifled Katella’s usual well balanced attack.
Canyon (7-5) plays El Modena (8-4) in the semifinals next week. The game will be at El Modena.
Katella (11-1) stayed in the game in the first quarter, but Harman’s two touchdown passes put Canyon up 28-7 at halftime.
The Comanches really got rolling in the third period, scoring on four straight possessions for a 55-7 advantage.
Harman, a mobile 6-foot-2, 180-pound senior, threw five touchdowns passes. They went for 13 yards to Noah White, 25 to Garrett McDowell, 3 to Christian Downey, 32 to Connor Dunn and 20 to Trace Hobbs.
Harman completed 13 of 23 for 170 yards.
Treanor had touchdown runs of 2 and 11 yards. The 6-1, 190-pound senior gained 100 yards on 16 carries.
Backup running back Jesse Lobato had a 19-yard touchdown run and sophomore Jacob Alle had a 2-yard touchdown run for the Comanches.
Katella turned the ball over four times on fumbles, once at its 6-yard line. Canyon covered it into a touchdown on Downey’s reception from Harman for a 28-7 halftime lead.
The Knights had shown some resiliency in the first quarter. Trailing 15-0, they marched 70 yards on 13 plays to cut the deficit to 15-7 on Sebastian Damasco’s 2-yard run with 25 seconds remaining.
Canyon regained the momentum with a 70-yard march on 11 plays with Harman finding McDowell for a 25-yard touchdown.
Canyon opened with second half with a 72-yard touchdown drive led by Treanor, who had 47 yards on six carries and finished it with a slashing 11-yard touchdoewn run.
Katella scored in the third quarter on a 67-yatd pass from Joseph Vasquez to Nicoloas Hurtado and in the fourth on Francisco Pineda’s 11-yard run.
