Vaqueros fall in CIF division title game

By Ramon Scott
Updated: December 13, 2024

2024 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

CIF STATE DIVISION 5-AA CHAMPIONSHIP GAME

EL CAPITAN vs. CARMEL

FULLERTON -The El Capitan Vaqueros fell to the Carmel Padres, 48-7, in the CIF State Division 5-AA championship game on Friday.

The Vaqueros received the opening kickoff but didn’t manage much on the first series and had to punt.

A short punt gave the Padres their first drive starting in El Cap territory. The Padres failed on a fourth-down attempt in the red zone, turning the ball over on downs.

El Capitan started its second possession at its own 12, however, the series resulted in a three-and-out and a punt out to the El Cap 47 set the Padres up with another short field early.

Carmel struck first with a rushing touchdown to cap the 47-yard drive to put the Padres on top, 7-0, with 3:32 left in the opening period.

El Capitan moved the ball well on their ensuing drive with a pair of completions from Brandt Barker to Ayden Banegas, getting the Vaqueros into the red zone.

The Padres, however, interception an ill-advised pass in the end zone, as Barker tried to get it to his tight end but good coverage resulted in the turnover.

The first quarter ended with the Padres up 7-0 and facing a third-and-23 from deep inside their own territory.

Carmel punted from deep in their own territory early in the second quarter and a substantial return was reduced significantly following a block in the back. El Cap did start with its best starting field position, however, taking over at the Carmel 40.

On the first play of the next series following the penalty, Barker connected with Michael Valencia with a 22-yard completion for the Vaqueros’ third first down of the game, setting up El Cap at the Carmel 18.

A pair of completions put the Vaqueros at the 1-yard line and Brody Kopp scored as he got across the line just before the ball was knocked loose by the Padres, who thought they had forced a turnover, but the extra-point tied the game at 7-all.

Carmel put together an impressive 75-yard drive on the ensuing possession, resulting in a touchdown run by Ashton Rees, who picked up his second touchdown, a 1-yard run, putting Carmel up 14-7 with 5:57 left in the first half. The Padres completed a third-and-10 pass on the drive for the key play.

El Capitan went three-and-out on their next possession as the Padres were able to take over at their own 41 with 5:24 left before halftime.

On the Padres’ next possession, Todd Carter, of El Capitan, record a sack on first down. However, the Padres were able to make a third-down conversion, taking the ball into El Cap territory. An ensuing run got the ball down to the Vaquero 6.

The Padres extended their lead to 21-7 with a rushing touchdown with 2:08 left in the first half, finishing off the 59-yard drive, as Rees rushed in from a yard out for his third score.

Carmel had a touchdown late in the first half on a long completion to take a 28-7 lead on a 49-yard pass.

Carmel recorded their third interception of the first half with 1:10 remaining before halftime.

Rees capped the scoring in the first half with a 77-yard touchdown run with 0:55 left, as Carmel led 35-7 at intermission. The Padres scored three touchdowns in less than two minutes.

The Padres added a third-quarter touchdown and led 41-7 after three quarters.

Ahead by five scores, Carmel used a fake punt to keep a possession that was extended by a pass interference call on the play, and the Padres scored a touchdown in the fourth quarter to go up 48-7 and the contest was concluded with a running clock.