MIRA MESA ---- With more than 2,000 yards rushing already under his belt, Mira Mesa High running back Damien Williams was expected to be a concern for the Carlsbad Lancers in their first-round playoff game Friday night.
Williams showed how he became Mira Mesa's single-season school record-holder for rushing as he motored for touchdown runs of 68 and 60 yards in the first half, leading the Marauders to a 48-29 victory in a CIF San Diego Section Division I playoff game.
"He's the real deal," Carlsbad coach Bob McAllister said of Williams, who finished with 275 yards rushing on 26 carries. "We knew we had to stop him, and we didn't. We just had to tackle better than we did."
The Marauders (7-4) advance to a quarterfinal matchup at No. 3 Escondido next week. The loss ends Carlsbad's season at 3-8.
"Our kids our young, but they battled and kept the ball moving," McAllister said. "We scored 29 points against a very good, well-coached team."
The last time these two teams met, in 2002, Carlsbad won 28-26 in the Division I quarterfinals. This time, the Lancers dug themselves in too deep a hole too early.
Mira Mesa built a 17-0 lead in the first quarter, outgaining the Lancers 134-18 in total yardage for the opening quarter. A 60-yard scoring run by Williams padded the hosts' lead to 24-0 midway through the second quarter, and Carlsbad did not get on the scoreboard until quarterback Hayden Means found tight end Connor Sodano for a 38-yard scoring reception with 3:28 left in the first half.
But Mira Mesa responded immediately when Michael Lestage returned the ensuing onside kickoff 46 yards for another Marauders TD.
"We tried a couple of onside kicks tonight, and we overplayed that one," McAllister said. "That's part of the game. You have to gamble a little bit sometimes."
Carlsbad is coming off only its second losing season in the past decade, and the Lancers are just three years removed from winning back-to-back Division I crowns in 2005-06. They fell behind 41-14 going into the fourth quarter of Friday's game, but made a late run when a 53-yard pass from Means to running back Michael Taele set up a 3-yard scoring run by Matt Consalvi four plays into the fourth quarter.
The ensuing two-point conversion pass to Armani Aburto was successful, and Taele put the Lancers on the board again with a 70-yard interception return with 4:53 left in the game.
But Mira Mesa's Tyshay Davis returned the favor with an interception return of his own, this one covering 35 yards for the clinching score with 1:57 left in the game.
Taele, Carlsbad's leading rusher on the season, was held to 27 yards on 15 carries as the Lancers had to air it out in the second half. Means threw 49 passes, completing 20 for 271 yards. Sodano shook off numerous hard hits to make five catches for 89 yards.
Williams has 2,285 yards rushing and 24 TDs for Mira Mesa, which has won four straight going into next Friday's contest at Escondido.
