Jefferson hitting stride as PAL Lake Division football opens play

“He came from Serra, so it’s easy,” Stewart said. “And I’m coming from coaching at Serra for years, it was easy just to put in. And he’s been running it since he was a youth in Pop Warner.”

The Serra transfer Saulny-Green racked up 17 carries for 130 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, while adding a 37-yard touchdown pass in the closing minutes to cap a splendid showing. The multi-faceted senior quarterback completed just two passes on the night, which is all his team needed as Jeff rushed for 230 yards as a team.

“Jefferson came here and punched us in the mouth,” El Camino head coach Rustin Mayorga said. “We didn’t execute. We didn’t match the physicality, and it definitely showed. I think it was close because I think there was some self-inflicted wounds on Jefferson’s part, where we didn’t take advantage of.”

But El Camino — coming off last Thursday’s exciting 27-21 overtime win over Homestead — was in the game for much of the night, and even took a 14-8 lead three minutes into the second half on a 29-yard scoring pass from senior quarterback Quentin Bromaghim to senior Markson Jacques.

On the ensuing kickoff, however, Jefferson senior Antonio Martinez broke a 72-yard return to put the Grizzlies back on top. And there they would stay for the remainder of the night.

“That was a backbreaker,” Stewart said. “Antonio Martinez with a nice run. He’s been going through a lot, so that was pretty big for him to get that score.”

It was the first varsity kickoff return TD for Martinez — or at least the first one that held up. He had two returns to the end zone last season that were called back due to penalties, including one against El Camino. So, it was quite the gut check after Martinez turned around to celebrate his score Friday night when he saw a yellow flag.

“I got so nervous,” Martinez said. “The ref had told me. I was so scared. I was like: ‘Not again!’”

Fortunately for Martinez and Jefferson, the penalty was an illegal block against El Camino, leaving the momentous go-ahead touchdown standing to give the Grizzlies a 16-14 advantage.

“I was so excited,” Martinez said. “Because last year, I had led the district in returning yards, but I didn’t have any (touchdowns). So, I was like: ‘That’s not worth it! You have to have at least a touchdown!’ This year, I’m happy. I’ve got my touchdown and I’m going to keep producing more for this team.”

Jefferson (1-0 PAL Lake, 2-2 overall) flexed its muscles early, taking the opening drive 73 yards on 14 plays to get on the board.

Saulny-Green opened the game with a 14-yard run, and it was one of several healthy chunks for the Grizzlies on the drive. The senior added runs of 8, 6 and 12 yards, but Jefferson stretched the drive by converting two third-down tries and one on fourth down.

A 6-yard rush by junior Lazaro Velez (10 carries for 80 yards, and one TD) on third-and-3 from the Colts’ 7 set up the game’s first score, as Saulny-Green dove behind left guard Allan Garcia for a TD; the Grizzlies then went for two after El Camino was flagged for encroachment, and senior Dominic Howard ran it in to give Jefferson an 8-0 lead.

The Colts’ passing game kept them in it during the early going. Trailing 8-0, the Colts responded by moving the ball past midfield, then converting a fourth-and-1 with a 2-yard keeper from Bromaghim. On the next play, Bromaghim aired it out on a post play up the right side to Jacques for a 25-yard pickup into the red zone. The Colts wasted no time, pounding it in with a 4-yard draw from senior running back Noah David.

El Camino, however, opted to try to catch the Grizzlies on the scoreboard with a two-point conversion try, and the run was stopped cold to keep Jefferson in the driver’s seat 8-6.

All told, the Colts (0-1, 2-2) gained 241 total yards of offense, with Bromaghim going 10-of-16 passing for 170 yards, two touchdowns and one interception. But El Camino managed just 105 rushing yards on the night.

“[Bromaghim] has definitely made some big strides, which I’m really, really proud of him,” Mayorga said. “But we just have to play complementary football. We can’t sit here and say we’re a downhill run team and we don’t get it downhill, and now you’re asking your quarterback to bail you out every single play.”

The Colts had a chance to take lead into halftime, but a 30-yard field goal on the half’s final play sailed wide.

Bromaghim’s TD pass with 9:03 to go in the third quarter on a sweet fly pattern up the right side by Jacques was a bright spot, for sure — one that had the Colts riding high right before Martinez’s fateful kickoff return. Maybe riding a little too high, Mayorga said.

“I think right now with what we’re trying to work on with this culture is just because you have success doesn’t mean it’s over with,” Mayorga said. “We can’t score a touchdown and assume the game’s over with and we won. And unfortunately right now, we ride the highs way too much ... instead of just getting back to work.”

Jeff forced a three-and-out, then drove 61 yards on five plays to score on a 35-yard bolt by Velez. El Camino responded with a 17-yard scoring pass from Bromaghim to a wide-open Kainoa Neal to cut it to 24-21 with 1:24 to play in the third.

But the fourth was all Grizzlies, as they scored three unanswered touchdowns — a 7-yard keeper from Saulny-Green with 5;34 to go; a pick-6 by junior linebacker Dimas Garcia with 4:12 remaining; and a 37-yard TD pass from Saulny-Green to senior Billy Garcia with 1:33 to play.

After an 0-2 start, Jefferson has now won two straight.

“We had a lot of guys hurt; a lot of guys are getting back,” Stewart said. “So, we’re going. We’re on our peak. So, we’re starting late. A lot of guys didn’t come to summer (workouts). We’re just trying to get everybody in a rhythm, trying to get everybody to where we needed to be.”