JSerra running back William Fredericksen finds a hole Friday night against Crean Lutheran. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs, John Luciano and Howard Lyon).
By JAKE RHODES
For OC Sports Zone
A much anticipated heavyweight fight between two of the premiere teams in Orange County lived up to the billing.
However, it was the visitors from JSerra who delivered enough haymakers to win this game 37-29 over Crean Lutheran Friday night at Saints Stadium in front of a capacity crowd.
To see the slide show, click on the first photo:
This game was more of an Ali/Frazier fight than Tyson/Frazuer.
Though Crean Lutheran (2-1) fell down a few times, the Saints kept on fighting to the end. Saints Coach Rick Curtis said he was proud of his group, and the game was an important learning lesson for this team.
Crean Lutheran was ranked sixth in Orange County and JSerra ninth going into the contest.
“We played really hard all the way through … Our kids made some big plays and we kept at it,” said Curtis. “I was proud of that part of it that we didn’t give up … We got to learn from it, we got to grow from it. Sometimes losing is a better learning experience for us than winning.”
The Saints started with the football, and senior running back Caleb Bey Jr. capped off a seven play opening drive with a physical 19-yard touchdown run up the middle.
JSerra (2-1) then proceeded to score 21 unanswered points, thanks to two touchdown runs from senior running back William Fredericksen and a 5-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Hayes Cloutier to junior wide receiver Sam Fredericksen.
Fredericksen’s first touchdown run was a 21-yarder, breaking tackles and finishing through the defensive back at the goal line to tie the game up at 7-7.
JSerra Coach Hardy Nickerson told his running back he needed a big game from him, and Frederiksen delivered by carrying the ball 25 times for 141 yards and those two touchdowns.
“At halftime, I talked to Will (Fredericksen) in the locker room and said, “Hey man, we need 100 yards out of you,” said Nickerson. “Really proud of him and the work that the offensive line did. They were really getting after it.”
With 1:48 left in the first half, Crean Lutheran senior quarterback Caden Jones needed just three plays to find senior wide receiver Troy Roberts for a 26-yard touchdown strike.
Cloutier led three first half scoring drives for JSerra, with his last one ending on a 38-yard field goal drilled by senior kicker Evan Leddy with 0.8 seconds left in the half. That gave the Lions a 24-14 lead at halftime.
Cloutier completed 16 of 33 passes for 133 yards and three touchdowns, two passing and one on the ground.
JSerra came out swinging again to start the second half, scoring quickly on a 22-yard touchdown toss from Cloutier to senior wide receiver Clark Cokley.
The Saints offense had some sputtering moments throughout the game, as Jones was under duress all night.
But, down 30-14 with 40 seconds left in the third quarter, Jones and his offense were able to dig deep and get back into the game.
Crean Lutheran went down the field on a 12-play drive, which ended with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Jones to Roberts again.
Trying to cut the lead to one score, Jones found junior wide receiver Nathan Collins in the back of the end zone to successfully convert a two-point conversion, which left Crean Lutheran down 30-22 with 10:18 left in the contest.
Jones completed 17 of 28 passes for 228 yards and two touchdown passes. Roberts led all receivers with 104 yards on eight catches and one touchdown.
On their next possession, Cloutier and his running mate Fredericksen milked a lot of clock, but the Saints defense set up a fourth and eight. Crean Lutheran sent a blitz, and after Cloutier dodged two defenders, he scampered across the field for a 31-yard touchdown, which served as the knockout blow for the Saints.
Crean Lutheran did not fold immediately, as Bey Jr. scored his second touchdown of the night, a 1-yard score to cut the JSerra lead back to eight again at 37-29.
After an unsuccessful onside kick, the Lions ran the clock out and secured the win. Fredericksen said he was beyond confident in his team going forward.
“If we keep playing like this and keep trusting each other, we will do our thing this year. That I promise you,” said Fredericksen.
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