Carlsbad hounds Torrey Pines to claim Division I crown

By: TERRY MONAHAN - Staff Writer | Tuesday, December 13, 2005 11:32 PM PST ∞

Torrey Pines' Robby Collins grabs the shirt but can`t pull down Carlsbad`s Antwon Dawson as Dawson runs 90 yards for a touchdown during the second quarter at Qualcomm Stadium on Tuesday.
Hayne Palmour IV
Order a copy of this photo
View A Slide Show
Visit our Photo Gallery

---

SAN DIEGO ---- For as much acclaim as the offense received this season, the Carlsbad High football team staked a lot on its defense. And the Lancers picked the right night for their finest defensive showing.

Making good use of seven quarterback sacks, Carlsbad captured its second CIF Division I championship in four years with a 17-6 victory over Torrey Pines on Tuesday night at Qualcomm Stadium.

A crowd of 17,909 watched the day's four championship games.

No team's defense had such an overwhelming performance as that of Carlsbad, which allowed only 13 points in its final five games.

"This is the best defense we've ever had,'' said Carlsbad coach Bob McAllisterm who also guided the Lancers to the crown in 2002. "They played with reckless abandon and gave us a tremendous victory. The kids believed in the system, and we had the right kids in the system.''

The eighth consecutive win for the No. 2-seeded Lancers also ended a nine-game winning streak by top-seeded Torrey Pines.

Carlsbad's defense applied an exclamation point by holding Torrey Pines to 142 total yards, ending the Falcons' dream of becoming the first team to win three straight CIF titles since Division I was created in 1993.

Nick Hasselberg's fumble recovery on fourth-and-4 from the Lancers' 34-yard line with 8:41 to play ended a threat following. An interception by Torrey Pines' Cooper Stephenson that positioned the Falcons at the Carlsbad 40 with 9:44 left.

Hasselberg recorded three sacks, Matt Branley had two, and Mendalson Covington and Brock Butler added one each.

"The biggest thing is we were unable to move the ball and make it a contest,'' said Torrey Pines coach Ed Burke. "That's a credit to Carlsbad's defense. In the last five games they've given up only 13 points, so what they did was not surprising.

"That defense has been outstanding all season long.''

Before Tuesday, the only blemish for Torrey Pines (11-2) was a 27-20 loss to Mira Mesa on Sept. 16. Carlsbad also finished 11-2.

So powerful was the Lancers' defense this year that only twice did they give up 20 points in a game, leading to a 330-99 scoring margin.

Torrey Pines was similarly dominant, outscoring opponents 347-148.

But Carlsbad was just too tough. It more than doubled the Palomar League champions in yardage (325 to 146) as running backs Antwon Dawson and Alex Gomez both surpassed 100 rushing yards. Dawson rushed 12 times for 136 yards, and Gomez added 117 yards on 22 carries.

"We have tremendous respect for Torrey Pines, Ed and his staff,'' said McAllister. "We beat a great program. We had a great run in the playoffs. This win, this championship is well-deserved.''

The anticipated defensive struggle came to pass in the first half.

After both teams spent the first quarter feeling each other out, with each recovering a fumble, the Lancers broke through on the first play of the second quarter.

Dawson, a 5-foot-3, 150-pound scatback, took a seemingly harmless handoff over right guard. When he broke through the line of scrimmage, he eluded a tackler and regained his balance en route a 90-yard jaunt and 7-0 lead.

The Lancers were marching toward another score on their next drive before turning the ball over on downs at the Torrey Pines 33.

That sparked the Falcons, who covered 67 yards in nine plays. The drive ended when Nic Renshaw burst into the end zone from 13 yards out with 2:13 left before halftime. A 15-yard facemask penalty helped keep the drive alive.

But the Falcons failed to tie the score. Kicker Bill Bennett's conversion try was blocked, keeping Carlsbad ahead 7-6.

As if feeding off the momentum from the blocked kick, the Lancers beat the clock for another score just before halftime. It came when Gomez went in untouched from a yard out off the right side, capping the 10-play, 80-yard drive for a 14-6 halftime lead.

Gomez deserved the touchdown. He carried on seven of the 10 plays.

That march put the finishing touches on a first half in which the Lancers, who average 301 yards a game, rolled up 255 yards.

A fumble recovery by Cody VanDerLinden at the Falcons' 20 halfway through the third quarter led to Malcolm Cisneros' 27-yard field goal and a 17-6 lead.

That's all the Lancers needed for a title.

Contact staff writer Terry Monahan at (760) 739-6648 or tmonahan@nctimes.com.