Turnovers and key penalties hurt Crean Lutheran in 14-7 loss to Ontario Christian

Crean Lutheran quarterback Gavin Rogers takes the snap while No. 13 Jack Fairchild goes in motion on the Saints first play from scrimmage Thursday. (Photo: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone)

Hundreds of fans turned out Thursday night at Portola High School for the return of high school football and Crean Lutheran and Ontario Christian put on an entertaining contest that went down to the final minutes.

Ontario Christian rallied from a 7-0 halftime deficit with two third quarter touchdowns to capture a 14-7 nonleague victory.

Both teams had played in the abbreviated spring season after the 2020 season was delayed but Thursday’s game seemed like games in the fall of 2019.

There were no crowd limits and the concession stand was open.

“It was a good crowd and a great atmosphere, it’s good to be back in the fall,” said Crean Lutheran Coach Rick Curtis, beginning his first full season leading the Saints.

Curtis saw positive signs but also saw areas the Saints need to work on.

“Turnovers, penalties, when you have a young team that’s one of the things you worry about going into the game,” said Curtis, beginning his first full season. “But it was a great football game. We knew they had a really good football program so we knew it was going to be tough down the road.

“That double wing offense gives us fits, it’s a very physical type of game. It was a great test for us, we just didn’t execute offensively. We had like four or five holding penalties. Every time we would start to get something going, they would bring it back.”

Crean Lutheran fumbled the ball away twice but also recorded three interceptions, two by Jack Fairchild and one by Andrew Duberow.

Duberow, a junior, is a tough two-way player. He put the Saints ahead with a 4-yard TD run with 7:37 left in the first quarter. Quarterback Gavin Rogers set up the score with a 27-yard pass to Fairchild that advanced the ball to the Ontario Christian 9-yard line.

Ontario Christian turned the game around in the third quarter. After the Knights recovered a fumble, Tyler Ford scored on a 4-yard TD run with 5:54 left in the third quarter to tie the game following the kick.

Then Ford made the biggest play of the game when he scampered 81 yards to the Crean Lutheran 2-yard line on the Knights next possession. Rocco Gomez then ran in for a TD to put Ontario Christian ahead.

Crean Lutheran advanced the ball to its own 39-yard line in the fourth quarter but the drive stalled and Ontario Christian sealed the win with an effective ground game ending the game.

“We should have scored more points, I know our offensive guys feel that way,” Curtis said. “I just think those turnovers and we turned the ball over on penalties, that really hurt us.”

Fairchild was the top receiver for Crean Lutheran with 10 catches for 99 yards, Ford led Ontario Christian rushing for 148 yards. Rogers completed 18 of 31 for 156 yards.

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–—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com