El Toro football defeats Huntington Beach with Blake Miller’s TD in dying seconds – Orange County Register
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LAKE FOREST >> As momentum came and went in the non-championship game between Huntington Beach and El Toro on Friday at El Toro High School, it became apparent that the team that scores last would likely be the winner.
That team was the Chargers.
With 13 seconds remaining, quarterback Blake Miller’s 2-yard touchdown run on the third and the goal carried the El Toro to a 34-27 victory.
In addition to the winning TD run, Miller completed 18 of 30 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns to help El Toro (4-0) go undefeated.
“He’s special because of his arms and legs,” El Toro coach Randall Reynoso said. “So those two things are on the table every week. If we keep him standing he can do things like that.
The Chargers started the last practice on their 49-yard line with 1:44 left.
On the first down, running back Carson Wilson ran 12 yards, then caught a 7-yard pass, setting a second and 3 of the 30.
Miller then joined Olsen on a screen pass for 24 yards, a play that opened due to an excellent block from offensive lineman Nick Brown.
The play put the Chargers on 6, setting the stage for Miller’s touchdown three games later.
“We could tell they (the defense) were going to come up in the middle, so why not go on the outside,†Miller said. “Everyone blocked and it was a touchdown.”
The training was made possible by the Chargers’ defense in the previous training.
Huntington Beach (2-2) started from his 20’s with 2:52 remaining, but a sack for a 1-yard loss by Simon Spencer and Brennen Acosta’s sack for a 5-yard loss helped the Oilers to go back to their 10, where they were forced to kick.
El Toro led 10-0 after the first quarter, but Huntington Beach came back with 17 points in the second, scoring two touchdowns that were set up by clutch plays by the special teams.
CJ Taylor of the Oilers recovered a fumble on the El Toro 32 on a kickoff.
Five games in practice, quarterback AJ Perez connected with Tyler Moses for a 12-yard touchdown pass.
In the kick-off that followed, kicker Carter Kennedy landed a short, high-arc kick that landed behind the return team’s front line and was picked up by Quincy Hankins, giving the Oilers the possession of the El Toro 33.
Taylor finished that drive with a 13-yard touchdown rush that gave the Oilers a 17-10 lead.
The score was 17-17 at halftime, and EJ Riederich’s 20-yard touchdown, the only score in the third quarter, gave the Oilers a 24-7 lead into the fourth.
The Chargers prevented the Oilers from scoring in the fourth.
Before Miller’s winning run, a 7-yard touchdown run from Olsen tied the score.