TUSTIN – Beckman quarterback Dean Nagle completed 17 of 25 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for a score as the Patriots defeated Woodbridge, 42-21, in a Pacific Coast League game Friday night at Tustin High.
Nagle connected on all three of his touchdowns with receiver Willie Lajoie, one of which was a 6-yard toss at the end of the third quarter to give Beckman a 35-14 lead.
The other touchdown tosses to Lajoie came on consecutive drives in the first half – one a 40-yard strike and the other a 20-yard catch – which carried the Patriots to a 21-14 halftime lead.
“What he’s really good at is taking what the defense is going to give him,” Beckman coach Marcello Giuliano said of Nagle. “He was escaping today. He was able to get out of pressure.”
Beckman tallied 422 offensive yards (284 passing and 138 rushing), outpacing the Warriors’ 352-yard output (241 passing and 111 rushing).
Beckman defensive back Liam Molina intercepted a pass inside his own 5-yard line, ran it about 50 yards and pitched the ball to Majd Eskandar who ran the ball in for a touchdown with a little over three minutes to play, sealing the game and giving the Patriots (5-4, 3-1) a 42-21 lead.
Woodbridge (3-6, 1-3) took the lead at the end of the first quarter, 14-7, when Connor McBride rushed for a 10-yard touchdown after a 65-yard drive.
The Warriors led early after the first possession of the game when Spencer Weston connected on a 19-yard touchdown pass to receiver Nick Nash, giving Woodbridge a 7-0 lead.
But Beckman answered with a 1-yard Nagle quarterback sneak to knot the score at 7-7.