CdM comes up short

Corona del Mar High’s nonleague football game against Tesoro featured a handful of big plays late.

There was a 38-yard pass, a 22-yard touchdown run, a 70-yard touchdown run, a 62-yard pass and a 30-yard interception return for a touchdown, all in a span of a little more than two minutes in the fourth quarter. Most of the plays belonged to Tesoro, which avoided an upset on the road, holding on for 45-31 win at Jim Scott Stadium on Thursday night.

Tesoro, ranked No. 3 in the CIF Southern Section West Valley Division, has played a robust schedule so far, all five opponents have been in top 10 polls and only one has knocked off the Titans. The Sea Kings (3-2), which shared the No. 2 spot in the Southwest Division, came close to becoming the second team to beat Tesoro (4-1).

“We played our tail off, but the credit goes to them for making a couple [of] more plays than us late,” CdM Coach Dan O’Shea said. “I could not be more proud of the fight our kids showed to go toe-to-toe with them for 48 minutes and we just ended up a bit short late in the fourth.”

The contest was even four times. The last two times came in the fourth quarter, tied at 24-24 with 5:25 left, and tied at 31-31 with 4:44 to go. The Sea Kings knotted the score both times, the final one with the help of running back Jaydin Moses’ 70-yard touchdown run.

Nevertheless, Tesoro saw its standout quarterback, Devon Modster, make plays down the stretch. He found wide receiver Braden King on a 62-yard pass 14 seconds after Moses’ long touchdown run down Tesoro’s sideline. A play later, Modster, the Arizona-bound senior, rushed for a three-yard touchdown, his second of the evening, helping Tesoro take a 38-31 lead with 4:22 remaining.

CdM quarterback Chase Garbers, who played mistake-free football for most of the game and took advantage of Tesoro playing without its top two cornerbacks, threw his first interception of the season on the next drive. Linebacker Cameron King picked off the pass near the CdM sideline and he returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, icing the game for Tesoro.

Garbers threw another pick in the waning seconds, but the junior kept CdM in the contest. He completed 20 of 33 passes for 262 yards and three touchdowns. He didn’t have one of his favorite receivers, Reece Perez missed the game with an injury.

Modster, the four-star recruit, was 18 of 33 for 310 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed 11 times for 43 yards.

Modster had to bring Tesoro back early.

Tesoro gambled on its first drive and it cost itself three points. After an offensive pass interference penalty nullified a 37-yard touchdown pass, the Titans still reached CdM’s five-yard line. The Sea Kings stopped a third-down swing pass for a three-yard loss. The Titans went for it on fourth-and-six, but Modster overthrew the intended receiver and CdM took over on downs midway through the opening quarter.

From its eight, CdM needed only six plays to strike first. Garbers went to his top target, Peter Bush, who finished with seven catches for 102 yards, half the time. The third hook up between the two went for a 35-yard touchdown pass that found Bush almost five yards ahead of the cornerback.

Tesoro responded on the ensuing kickoff, as a former CdM player hurt the Sea Kings. Anthony Battista, who transferred to Tesoro after his sophomore season with the Sea Kings, had a 56-yard return, setting up the offense up on CdM’s 27. Five plays later, Modster took the snap from shotgun and rushed for a one-yard touchdown and Tesoro even things up at 7-7 with 2:15 left in the first quarter.

The teams exchanged touchdowns in the second quarter. Garbers completed a 59-yard touchdown pass to wideout Taeveon Le. The play came on a third-and-18 call, and it wasn’t the first time the sophomore beat the coverage for a long score. In the second game of the year, Le caught a79-yard touchdown at Dana Hills, the first of three South Coast League teams CdM has faced in four weeks.

The 14-7 lead wouldn’t hold up for CdM. Midway through the second quarter, Battista, on a draw play, found the end zone from 15 yards out. And as time expired in the first half, Hayden McGinnis converted a 42-yard field goal, giving Tesoro a 17-14 lead at halftime.

Tesoro gained the momentum. The visitors had already stuffed CdM’s ground game, allowing only 31 yards on 14 carries in the first half. Tesoro was more successful through the first two quarters, rushing 19 times for 90 yards and two touchdowns.

Modster showed he could let the ball fly as well. He had two strong throws in the opening drive to the second half, one for a 25-yard gain to receiver Carter Jaenichen and the next for a 35-yard touchdown to receiver Shane Coleman.

Garbers answered Modster’s touchdown with his third. He aired it out for Le, who got under it in the end zone for a 21-yard touchdown, cutting Tesoro’s lead to 24-21 at the 4:30 mark in the third quarter. All Le does is catch touchdowns, each of his three receptions on the season going for scores.

Le and Garbers were unable to produce again, and the same team that ended CdM’s 30-game winning streak last year downed the Sea Kings again.

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Tesoro 45, Corona del Mar 31

SCORE BY QUARTERS

Tesoro 7 – 10 – 7 – 21 — 45

CdM 7 – 7 – 7 – 10 — 31

FIRST QUARTER

CdM – Bush 35 pass from Garbers (Neiger kick), 4:06.

T – Modster 1 run (McGinnis kick), 2:15.

SECOND QUARTER

CdM – Le 59 pass from Garbers (Neiger kick), 11:49.

T – Battista 15 run (McGinnis kick), 5:25.

T – McGinnis 42 FG, :00.

THIRD QUARTER

T – Coleman 35 pass from Modster (McGinnis kick), 9:13.

CdM – Le 21 pass from Garbers (Neiger kick), 4:30.

FOURTH QUARTER

CdM – Neiger 32 FG, 5:25.

T – Sharpe 22 run (McGinnis kick), 5:07.

CdM – Moses 70 run (Neiger kick), 4:44.

T – Modster 3 run (McGinnis kick), 4:22.

T – King 30 INT return (McGinnis kick), 3:03.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

T – Battista, 13-51, 1 TD.

CdM – Moses, 5-88, 1 TD.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

T – Modster, 18-33-1, 310, 1 TD.

CdM – Garbers, 20-33-2, 262, 3 TDs.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

T – King, 3-110.

CdM – Bush, 7-102, 1 TD.