Football: 28 in a row, CdM on a roll
The first two football games of the season for Corona del Mar High have turned out almost identical, except for one point.
The Sea Kings scored one fewer point than in their season opener last week in San Diego, and it didn’t matter on Thursday. Corona del Mar returned home and its vaunted defense produced another shutout in a 37-0 win against Dana Hills at Davidson Field, extending its winning streak to 28 games.
The Sea Kings’ remarkable run matches the fourth longest winning streak in Orange County history. From 1996 to 1998, Santa Margarita won 28 in a row. A quarterback named Carson Palmer played a vital role to a huge chunk of those triumphs back then, leading Santa Margarita twice to CIF Southern Section Division V titles, before graduating in 1998.
Sixteen years later, the Sea Kings are on a 28-game roll. The defense has blanked 10 opponents during the stretch.
Three CdM starting quarterbacks have contributed to the streak, currently the best in the state. The latest starting quarterback is Peter Bush, but his backup is in the mix.
Bush and Chase Garbers have each seen time in the first two contests. Bush has seen the field more. Whoever is on the field, the defense has given the two young quarterbacks plenty of opportunities to shine. Peter Bush threw for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while Garbers rushed for 46- and 20-yard touchdowns.
The opposing quarterback didn’t do as well. The Sea Kings harassed Dana Hills’ Cole Wilber all evening, sacking him seven times. Wilber, who’s committed to Northern Arizona, completed only six of 17 passes for 28 yards.
Parker Chase, a senior defensive end, dropped Wilber three times, giving him five sacks in two games. At this rate, Chase is on pace to break the CdM single-season sack record of 18. He came close last year, finishing with 16.
No offense has come close to scoring on CdM early on this season. That could change come next week, when the Sea Kings (2-0), ranked No. 1 in the CIF Southern Section Southwest Division, play host to El Toro (1-0), which opened the season last week with a 51-35 win at La Habra.
The Chargers were the one team to play CdM the toughest last year during the Sea Kings’ 16-0 historic season, almost ending the Sea Kings’ winning ways in the third game of the season. A blocked field-goal attempt in the waning seconds allowed CdM to hang on for a 24-21 win on the road.
Sea Kings Coach Scott Meyer said he expects a challenge, more so than what Carlsbad La Costa Canyon and Dana Hills have given his team. The team will need to limit its turnovers, as CdM committed three (two interceptions and one fumble) against Dana Hills.
Other than those miscues, the CdM offense had no trouble against Dana Hills (0-2). Bush put CdM on the board late in the opening quarter. The junior capped a nine-play, 66-yard drive with a five-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Bo St. Geme. The two hooked up again, late in the first half, on a 58-yard touchdown pass. St. Geme was wide open near the sideline, and the senior cut inside near the 25-yard line, where he slipped a tackle to give CdM a 23-0 lead.
Five minutes earlier, Garbers entered for the first time. With good field position, thanks to defensive end Harrison Carter’s 10-yard sack, the Sea Kings took over near midfield. After Garbers went to tailback Cole Martin on four straight plays, three runs for 18 yards and one pass for 13 yards, Garbers decided to go on his own. The run play worked. Garbers, in shotgun, took the snap and attacked the middle, rushing for a 20-yard touchdown.
Garbers’ most impressive run was the one that saw him escape the grasp of two defenders in the third quarter. The Dolphins appeared to have Garbers sacked for the second straight down, but the sophomore didn’t go down. He ran left, down the sideline for a 46-yard score.
Through two games, Garbers has three rushing touchdowns and more yards on the ground than through the air. The Sea King quarterbacks don’t need to throw it much because CdM has jumped on its first two opponents early, taking a 24-0 halftime lead last week and a 23-0 halftime lead this week.
The fast starts have allowed CdM to rest Martin in the second half. The senior rushed 14 times for 104 yards against the Dolphins.
The Sea Kings went to backup Jaydin Moses, who rushed nine times for 86 yards and one touchdown. The score came midway through the fourth, when the Sea Kings were on their way to improving to 5-0 all-time against Dana Hills.
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Corona del Mar 37, Dana Hills 0
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Dana Hills 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 — 0
CdM 7 – 16 – 7 – 7 — 37
FIRST QUARTER
CdM – St. Geme 5 pass from Bush (Neiger kick), 2:40.
SECOND QUARTER
CdM – Neiger 36 FG, 11:43.
CdM – Garbers 20 run (Neiger kick), 7:30.
CdM – St. Geme 58 pass from Bush (kick failed), 2:49.
THIRD QUARTER
CdM – Garbers 46 run (Neiger kick), 4:18.
FOURTH QUARTER
CdM – Moses 1 run (Bjurman kick), 6:46.
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
DH – Scott, 15-83.
CdM – Martin, 14-104; Moses, 9-86, 1 TD; Garbers, 3-61, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
DH – Wilber, 6-17-0, 28.
CdM – Bush, 9-22-2, 192, 2 TDs.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
DH – Moslehi, 2-11.
CdM – St. Geme, 3-93, 2 TDs.