Football: Sage Hill can’t keep up with Brethren Christian

HUNTINGTON BEACH — Sage Hill found itself in a ballgame with Brethren Christian late into the first half of Friday’s Academy League game at Ocean View High, but the game got away from the Lightning in the second half as the host Warriors pulled away to a 48-14 victory.

Sage Hill was within 28-14 of BC at halftime but got outscored, 20-0, in the second half.

The Lightning was playing their first game in two weeks. Friday’s loss, combined with a league-opening loss (44-6) to St. Margaret’s, puts them at 0-2 in league with two games to play.

The Lightning is now 3-5 overall.

“We came out slow defensively and kind of hurt ourselves,” Sage Hill Coach Tom Kirchmeyer said. “We played hard throughout but the ball just did not bounce our way tonight. We didn’t get a break, it seemed.”

BC, ranked ninth in the CIF Southern Section East Valley Division, was celebrating Senior Night Friday in its final regular season home game. Three senior Warriors, quarterback Conner Miller, receiver Guy Demazeliere and running back Andrew Assaf, were players the Lightning needed to hone in on.

It was no secret the trio were key figures in the BC offense. Miller, a transfer from Yorba Linda High in his first season at quarterback for the Warriors, entered the game as one of the top passers in Orange County with 2,209 yards and a country-leading 35 touchdown passes in eight games. He had completed 153 of 238 pass attempts with only eight interceptions. In addition, he was the Warriors’ second-leading rusher with 518 yards and two TDs.

Miller added a lot more to his totals Friday, finishing 16 of 25 for 317 yards and three passing touchdowns, in addition to running for a third.

Demazeliere, the Warriors’ top receiver the past two years, the top receiver in the Academy League, and one of the top receivers this year in the county, was averaging 117 yards and had 17 receiving touchdowns. He had seven receptions for 163 yards and two scores against the Lightning, his receiving total pushing him past the 1,000-yards mark at 1,126.

Assaf, BC’s leading rusher, ran for 164 yards and three touchdowns.

“We knew they had weapons, and we really focused on ways to stop No. 80 (Demazeliere) all week in practice,” Kirchmeyer said. “He still had a big game.”

Sage Hill quarterback CJ McCord threw for big yardage, too. The senior completed only 16 of 43 pass attempts but his completions went for 233 yards. He also was intercepted three times.

The Lightning took the opening kickoff and marched from their own 35-yard line down to the BC eight. On third down, running back Beau Roth was hit at the line of scrimmage, and the Warriors’ Patrick McNerney recovered at the 13. The Warriors proceeded on an 87-yard scoring drive which culminated on a 34-yard scoring pass from Miller to Demazeliere.

A pair of 11-yard touchdown runs by Assaf, the last coming with 6:40 left in the first half, put the BC lead at 21-0. That’s when Sage Hill went to a trick play to get on the scoreboard.

A double-handoff led to a flea-flicker by McCord who sent a nice pass to a wide-open Jacob Fisher, and the junior receiver caught the ball at the BC 35. Fisher took off but had to drag Assaf on his back the final 15 yards to reach the end zone. Gordon Strelow’s kick made it 21-7.

Demazeliere’s second TD pass reception from Miller, this one covering 19 yards, put the Warriors on top, 28-7, with 3:58 until halftime. The Lightning wasted little time in responding, scoring just 19 seconds later. A pass interference call against BC on first-down put the ball at the BC 44 and on the next play, McCord found Vince Wetmore all alone in the secondary and the two teamed up on a 44-yard scoring play.

The Lightning had trimmed the BC lead to 28-14.

The Sage Hill defense also came up with some big plays in the opening half. McCord had an interception at the Sage Hill seven to thwart a BC scoring drive on the first play of the second quarter. Later in the quarter, David Dewey, one of the game captains for the Lightning, intercepted a Miller pass in the end zone to squelch another BC scoring threat.

BC improved to 5-2-1 overall and 2-1 in Academy League play. The Warriors’ two losses are to top-ranked St. Margaret’s — the Tartans rallied last week for a 38-28 victory over the Warriors, and second-ranked Simi Valley Grace Brethren.

The Warriors, who ran their unbeaten streak to four games, had scored 42 or more points in four of their previous eight games.

“This was a game where we literally had to bounce back from adversity the entire way,” Kirchmeyer said. “I thought our guys played well and we had some chances early to stay in the game.”

Sage Hill plays its final road game of the regular season next week when it travels to face Downey Calvary Chapel at 7 p.m. Nov. 1.

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Brethren Christian 48, Sage Hill 14

SCORE BY QUARTER

Sage Hill 0 – 14 – 0 – 0 — 14

Brethren Christian 14 – 14 – 14 – 6 — 48

FIRST QUARTER

BC – Demazeliere 34 pass from Miller (Hardigree kick), 4:06.

BC – Assaf 11 run (Hardigree kick), 00:36.

SECOND QUARTER

BC – Assaf 11 run (Hardigree kick), 6:40.

SH – Fisher 76 pass from McCord (Strelow kick), 6:16.

BC – Demazeliere 19 pas from Miller (Hardigree kick), 3:58.

SH – Wetmore 44 pass from McCord (Strelow kick), 3:39.

THIRD QUARTER

BC – Gorrell 33 pass from Miller (Hardigree kick), 8:47.

BC – Miller 35 run (Hardigree kick), 4:30.

FOURTH QUARTER

BC – Assaf 29 run (pass fail), 8:29.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

SH – Roth, 12-53.

BC – Assaf, 17-164, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

SH – McCord, 16-43-3, 233, 2 TDs.

BC – Miller, 16-25-2, 317, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

SH – Wetmore, 6-96, 1 TD.

BC – Demazeliere, 7-163, 2 TDs.