Brody Jones (No. 5) and Matthew Mahoney of Crean Lutheran celebrate a touchdown Friday night. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs/Albert Friske)
It was a happy Homecoming Friday night for Crean Lutheran’s football team, which won its third game in a row, defeating Village Christian 38-27 in a non-league game at Portola.
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Sophomore quarterback Brody Jones led Crean Lutheran (3-2) with another outstanding effort.
“In our last three games, three victories, he has totaled 33 of 44 passing for 612 yards and 11 pass touchdowns,” said Coach Randall Reynoso. “He has added 20 rushing attempts for 128 yards and an additional two rushing touchdowns.”
He has been responsible for 13 touchdowns, Reynoso added.
In the game against Fairmont Prep on Thursday, Sept. 12, Jones completed 14 of 19 passes for 280 yards, four touchdown passes and 108 yards rushing with two rushing touchdowns. Crean Lutheran won that game 48-39.
Jones set the school record for total touchdowns in a game (six), passing yards in a game (280) and total offense in a game (388).
“In my nine years as a varsity coach, it has been the best three game stretch I have seen from any quarterback I have been around,” said Coach Randall Reynoso. “And he’s only a sophomore. Brody has great instincts and his movement in the pocket is tremendous. The most telling stat that shows Brody’s poise is his turnovers.
“In the last three games, he has no interceptions and one fumble. That is a key element to our philosophy; do not give the ball to the other team.”
Another standout has been wide receiver/cornerback Matt Mahoney, who Reynoso said has been an ” emerging, improving player for us.”
“Matt has been Brody’s primary target all season. Last night (Friday) against Village Christian, Matt never came off the field. On offense, he amassed 91 yards on four catches, all four of them touchdowns.
“On special teams, he had 92 return yards on three kickoff returns. He basically averaged 26 yards every time he touched the ball and scored a touchdown every other time he touched the ball. He was electric. On defense, he had three solo tackles, two assists, and two key interceptions.”
Reynoso said it was a perfect end of the week for the Saints, who open Empire League play Friday night hosting Pacifica at Portola.
“It was a great night to cap an amazing Homecoming week,” the coach said. “I told our players all week, the pageantry and attention that Homecoming gets is awesome, but we cannot let it become a distraction and we have to stay focused.
“We are not the same team we were back in week one. The improvement needs to continue. Village Christian gave us all we can handle, but we persevered. It was not always pretty, but we did what was needed.”
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