El Toro adds another win to season of change

TUSTIN - Last season was a disappointing one for the El Toro football team. The Chargers won just two of their 10 games and finished fourth in the Sea View League.

What a difference a year makes.

The Chargers, under first-year coach Robert Frith, clinched second place with a 38-13 road victory over Foothill at Tustin High Thursday night.

El Toro finished the regular season 7-3 overall and 4-1 in league.

The Chargers, who were ranked sixth in the latest CIF-SS Southwest Division poll, will likely host a first-round playoff game next week. The CIF-SS pairings will be released Sunday.

Foothill finished in fourth place, 2-8 overall and 2-3 in league.

"At the beginning of the season, this senior class decided they wanted to change things around here," Frith said. "They showed a lot of heart and integrity. ... I'm proud of them."

Frith, who was the team's defensive coordinator before this season, brought his team into Thursday's game looking for a complete performance that would keep them from having to worry about having their season decided by a potential coin flip.

An El Toro loss, combined with other possibilities would have forced a three-way tie for second place.

However, the Chargers didn't have to worry about that after a 21-point second quarter.

With the scored tied 7-7, quarterback Braden Olson connected with fullback Raymond Jauregui for a 38-yard touchdown pass and a 14-7 lead for El Toro.

After forcing a punt on Foothill's first possession of the quarter, El Toro took over on the Knights' 39. Nico Jackson capped the four-play drive with a 1-yard run for a 21-7 lead.

Jackson would later add a 34-yard touchdown to give the Chargers a 28-7 halftime lead.

Jackson finished the game with 154 yards rushing.

The Chargers led, 38-7, before Foothill QB 's scored on a 15-yard run as time expired.

"Last year, we were a young team," El Toro wide receiver/defensive back Jesse Bueno said. "This year, we have new coaches and everything is good."

Bueno had 99 receiving yards and one of the three interceptions recorded by the Charger secondary. Ryan Lewis and Chad Hennings had the others.

"It was good to see the guys come out and play a complete football game," Frith said. "From beginning to end, we finally put everything together."