San Clemente dominates, earns spot in Pac-5 final

COSTA MESA - The last time the San Clemente football team made it to a CIF-Southern Section final none of the players on this year's team were born.

However, this current edition will certainly remember 2011.

The Tritons dominated Friday's game against host and South Coast League rival Tesoro in all aspects of the game on their way to a 51-16 victory in a CIF-SS Pac-5 semifinal game at Orange Coast College.

San Clemente has won seven of nine meetings against Tesoro (8-5).

San Clemente (12-1) advances to its first final since 1979. That year, San Clemente lost to Esperanza, 14-7, in the Central Conference championship game.

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San Clemente will face Santa Margarita in the final on Dec. 10 at Angel Stadium. The Eagles defeated Mission Viejo, 21-20, in the other semifinal.

"I'm excited the kids, coaches and the community," San Clemente coach Jon Hamro said. "I think San Clemente has been to one final in 48 years. These guys deserve it. They've been together a long time. They've grown up together."

Hamro couldn't have asked for a better semifinals performance than the one the Tritons turned in Friday.

The defense intercepted two passes and allowed just one touchdown. The offense, led by quarterback Travis Wilson, turned in big play after big play, especially Christian Tober.

Tober led the way with three touchdowns of at least 70 yards. He had an 80-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, a 73-yard reception in the second and a 75-yard kickoff return in the third quarter.

He also had an interception in the second half.

"This was a big game," Tober said. "I knew I had to come out and play fast. We knew what we had to do to beat them, but we knew it wasn't going to be easy."

Tober only made it look that way.

On his first touch, he took a short screen pass from Travis Wilson and turned his sights toward the end zone.

"Right when I caught it, I ran three yards, right past my first block and it was wide open," Tober said. "I just had to outrun a couple of people.

"Our team has wanted this for so long. We've gone through so much adversity. We have a great coaching staff, we're a great team. I love everybody on this team. This is perfect."

San Clemente scored 23 consecutive points in the second quarter to take a 37-7 lead into halftime.

Wilson hooked with Mike Elespuru for a 57-yard touchdown pass and Nick Pasquale added a 3-yard touchdown run in the third quarter for San Clemente.

The fourth quarter was played under the mercy rule.

Wilson completed four of seven passes for 217 yards and three touchdowns.

"We just ran out of gas," Tesoro coach Brian Barnes said. "San Clemente is a tremendous football team. I thought all year long they were the best football team in the county. "

Tesoro finished third in the South Coast League, but advanced to the semifinals with upset victories over Edison, the Sunset League champion and two-time defending Pac-5 champion Servite.

"They kicked our butts a few weeks ago and they kicked our butts again tonight," Barnes said. "They gave us a long field all night and they had a short field. That's the things about good teams sometimes they make other teams look bad."

San Clemente's excitement was tempered a bit when Brian Knauf was taken off the field in an ambulance following tackle with 1:10 left in the third quarter.

The game was delayed for nearly 30 minutes.

Defensive coordinator Jaime Ortiz said that Knauf had tingling sensations in both arms and showed symptoms of a concussion. Ortiz said he believes Knauf was taken to Hoag Memorial Hospital. (Click here for an update on Knauf.)