Calvary Chapel Coach Jack McInally talks to his team after Friday’s non-league victory over Woodbridge. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Calvary Chapel’s football team had a pretty electric start to the 2025 season Friday night, defeating Woodbridge 35-0 in a non-league game at Segerstrom featuring two of the youngest head coaches in the county.
The Eagles clicked on offense and the defense forced three turnovers including one that was converted into a big TD in the first half.
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Calvary Chapel, coached by 30-year-old Jack McInally, spoiled the debut of new Woodbridge coach 27-year-old Connor McBride.
“I think we were just super fired up, as a team we knew we had to replace (top player) Matt Peters, so this entire off-season and in 7-on-7 we just told all the receivers and all our running backs, ‘we don’t have one guy and every single person is going to have to step up’ and they did that tonight and that’s something that we’re going to try to carry on,” said McInally.
Leading the way was sophomore quarterback Colin Wiles, playing his first varsity football game. He completed 10 of 23 passes for 194 yard, capping the night with a 32-yard TD pass to Noah Barthel in the second quarter which put Calvary Chapel ahead 28-0.
There was no scoring in the third quarter but in the fourth quarter Jackson Stice ran in for a 12-yard TD to make it 35-0 and a running clock was used the rest of the game.
“I thought our quarterback Colin did an excellent job delegating but I’m just so proud of us, the defense getting a shutout, something we focused on the off-season was getting turnovers and we made some awesome plays out there,” McInally said.
Wiles was pleased to contribute to the win.
“It was a great win, I tried to work my tail off this summer to work with these guys, it’s their senior year and I want them to have a good year,” he said. “I tried to put the ball in places where they could get it, they made plays, bad throws they still made plays off of it and the running backs did amazing and the defense (got a) shutout and we won 35-0.”
In his first start, Wiles admitted there were some nerves.
“I was nervous when I woke up this morning, but I didn’t want to show it and I just wanted to play,” he said.
Daniel Nieves was the Eagles top receiver with three catches for 79 yards.
Calvary Chapel’s defense set up the first score when Jett Rauch intercepted a pass by Warrior freshman quarterback Waylan Stone. The Eagles took over on the Warrior 35-yard line and then moved ahead 7-0 on a 2-yard TD keeper by Wiles.
Woodbridge was moving the ball on its next drive, advancing the ball to its own 42-yard line. Elijah Morris hauled in an 8-yard pass from Stone at midfield but the Eagles Eli Sutherland ripped the ball out of his hands and raced 50-yards for a TD to make it 14-0.
Later in the quarter, Quinlan Russell, in at QB, scored from 3 yards out to make it 21-0.
It was a tough night from the start for Woodbridge, which had three turnovers and 10 penalties.
Stone, and sophomore Joey Coykendall shared the quarterback duties for Woodbridge and combined to pass for about 160 yards, with Stone accumulating the most yards. Kayjahn Pitts was the Warriors’ leading rusher with 61 yards on 12 carries.
But Woodbridge had trouble converting on third down plays to extend drives. Stone led a decent drive at the start of the third quarter, helping the Warriors drive to the Calvary Chapel 32, but the drive stalled there.
“It’s what they call a welcome to the league moment,” said McBride, the former standout player at Woodbridge of his first game as head coach. “But it’s really important for us. I talked to the kids at halftime and said, ‘the way that we respond is the way that sets the tone for rest of the season. I think they came out in the second half, my sideline was positive the whole time and that’s all I can ask. It’s just a measure that have a lot to do from here.
“There were a lot of penalties, a couple of fumbles, things we really harp on in practice but it shows us why they’re so important. I told my guys on the way out, ‘I want you to look at that scoreboard one more time and remember the feeling and hopefully never get back to that. The toughest battles are for the strongest people, so I’m hoping that’s it.”
McInally, the young Calvary Chapel coach, said McBride and the Warriors have a solid future though.
“Connor McBride is a great person and a great coach,” said McInally, noting that he suffered a lopsided loss in his second game coaching. “Woodbridge is going to be dangerous.”
It was somewhat of a reunion for McInally and McBride.
“When I was 21, I was the Orange County all-star offensive coordinator and he was our running back, so I’ve known Connor for a while, great, great legendary football player and he’s going to be a legendary coach, I know it,” McInally said. “All the credit to Woodbridge, they’re a clean team and they’re really well coached.
“I think that was the youngest coaching match-up, got to be in history, right?”
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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