Calvary chips away to beat Estancia

The Calvary Chapel High football team took what host Estancia gave it Friday night. And, despite giving a considerable amount back with careless penalties, Calvary held on for a 23-21 Orange Coast League-opening victory against the defending league champion.

Calvary (3-3) rallied from a 14-10 halftime deficit by rolling up numbers with a short passing game that included two explosive touchdown connections from senior quarterback Patrick Glasgow to senior receiver Josh Debernarde.

Debernarde converted catch-and-run touchdowns of 42 and 43 yards, the latter to create a 23-14 lead with 10:53 left in the game.

Estancia (1-5) cut into the deficit on a Connor Brown touchdown pass to Konrad O’Daly with 35 seconds left. But Calvary, ranked No. 10 in the CIF Southern Section Southern Division, recovered the ensuing onside kickoff and ran out the clock to remain on the inside track for league-title contention.

Calvary Chapel rolled up yards and first downs by attacking the flanks of the Estancia defense. Most often, it threw to its four-receiver set in the flat and relied on seniors Braeden Stack and Luke Thompson to make the most of the short flips.

Stack finished with 13 catches for 72 yards and Thompson collected 83 yards on seven catches.

Debernarde wound up with 97 yards on three receptions to help Glasgow complete 24 of 41 passes for 251 yards.

Calvary Chapel needed every bit of it, as it committed 14 penalties for 171 yards. One of those penalties nullified what would have been an 80-yard pass to Stack on the visitors’ first possession.

Calvary personal foul penalties at least 40 yards behind the ball, cut into what would have been an 87-yard return of a blocked field-goal attempt, as well as the aforementioned 80-yard scoring pass.

Estancia added to the flag-fest with 10 infractions for 97 yards.

Estancia also hurt its cause with two costly interceptions, both of which Calvary converted into touchdown drives of 75 and 40 yards.

Estancia did create some success through the air, as senior quarterback Connor Brown completed 18 of 28 attempts for 243 yards and two scores.

Brown hit senior Wilmer Sanchez for a nine-yard touchdown with 25 seconds left in the first half to help the hosts take a 14-10 advantage into the intermission.

But after tailback Tyler Chacon picked up 70 yards on 18 first-half rushing attempts, Estancia’s running game accounted for only eight yards in the final two quarters, including a pair of sacks.

Junior Trevor Brown, Connor’s younger brother, had seven catches for 139 yards, including a 58-yard gain on the second play of the game.

But that first Estancia drive ended with a missed 32-yard field-goal try and the hosts also had drives fizzle after reaching the Calvary Chapel 18- and 19-yard lines.

Estancia’s second-to-last possession advanced to the Calvary Chapel 31-yard line, courtesy of a roughing-the-passer penalty on the visitors.

Tyler Ross came up with Estancia’s only takeaway, intercepting a pass at his own 17-yard line and returning it close to midfield to halt Calvary’s first second-half possession.

Calvary Chapel’s final touchdown drive came after a 13-yard Estancia punt.

It’s only the second time in 14 meetings that Calvary Chapel has prevailed in the series. Estancia had won the previous six games in the series, coming in.

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Calvary Chapel 23, Estancia 21

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Cal Chapel 0 10 7 6 – 23

Estancia 7 7 0 7 – 21

FIRST QUARTER

Est – Chacon 1 run (Hernandez kick), 5:26.

SECOND QUARTER

CC – Debernarde 42 pass from Glasgow (Headington kick), 11:09.

CC – Headington 35 FG, 1:55.

Est – Sanchez 9 pass from C. Brown (Hernandez kick), 0:25.

THIRD QUARTER

CC – Whitacre 12 pass from Glasgow (Headington kick), 0:07.

FOURTH QUARTER

CC – Debarbarde 43 pass from Glasgow (kick failed), 10:53.

Est – O’Daly 14 pass from C. Brown (Hernandez kick), 0:35.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

CC – Glasgow, 6-32.

Est – Chacon, 26-86, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

CC – Glasgow, 24-41-1, 251, 2 TDs.

Est – C. Brown, 18-28-2, 243, 2 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

CC – Debernarde, 3-97, 2 TDs; Stack, 13-72; Thompson, 7-83.

Est – T. Brown, 7-139; Chacon, 5-40.