SDUT: Falcons soar in second half, post 27-7 victory

SDUT: Falcons soar in second half, post 27-7 victory

Torrey Pines senior Jake Sweeney leads strong offensive effort in second half for Falcons (2-2), and San Marcos (3-1) can’t do much after apparent collarbone injury to QB Kreet Makihele

From San Diego Union Tribune

– BY RICK HOFFSEPT. 8, 2023 10:30 PM PT

After settling for just two field goals in the first half, the Torrey Pines High football team found its groove in the second half against San Marcos.

Senior running back Jake Sweeney rushed for 123 yards on 17 carries, including a pair of touchdown runs, and the Falcons went on to a 27-7 victory over the Knights in a nonleague clash at Ed Burke Field. The win was the second straight for Torrey Pines after opening the season with a pair of losses.

“We’ve got it all figured out,” said Sweeney, who scored on a third-quarter TD run of 1 yard before adding a 3-yard score in the fourth period. “Our defense kept us in it with a lot of stops, and we got challenged at halftime.

“We had some miscommunications early, but then we began to play as a team.”

The Knights (3-1) lost their first game after starting the season with three wins, and they also lost starting quarterback Kreet Makihele after the first offensive series of the game for San Marcos when he was sacked for a 4-yard loss and was unable to continue.

“It’s his collarbone, and it’s not good,” Knights coach Tom Carroll of the injury to Makihele, who came into the contest having thrown 12 touchdown passes in the Knights’ first three games. “I was frustrated with our response after that, but it’s twofold. I’m disappointed with our own team, but Torrey Pines physically dominated us.”

The only score of the game for the visitors came on a 93-yard kickoff return by Jase Nix in the opening minute of the fourth period. Other than that, the San Marcos offense had eight possessions ended by six punts, an interception by Falcons defensive back Matthew Mannarino and the end of the first half.

“Our kids worked their tails off,” said Falcons coach Scott Ashby. “It was all about playing as a team.”

San Marcos came into the contest averaging 38.7 points per game but could not generate enough offense to keep Torrey Pines from winning its seventh straight game in the series against the Knights.

Both offenses were kept out of the end zone in the first half, with the only scoring provided by the right leg of senior placekicker Ryan Babcock. Torrey Pines took over at the San Marcos 44-yard line following the Knights’ second punt of the opening period. A pass interference penalty against San Marcos advanced the ball to the Knights’ 15-yard line, but the drive stalled there. Babcock was called upon to deliver a 34-yard field goal for a 3-0 Falcons lead with 1:25 remaining in the first quarter.

San Marcos advanced to midfield to start the second quarter, but a quarterback sack by Dawson Washington led to another Knights punt with the hosts taking over at their own 26.

A third-down pass from quarterback Lukas Tu to Peyton Rodgers gained 28 yards and an 18-yard run by Oscar Peterson picked up 18 more yards before a pair of Torrey Pines penalties forced the Falcons to settle for a 32-yard Babcock field goal with 4:38 left before halftime.

Five first-half possessions by San Marcos resulted in four punts and the end of the half. The Knights’ deepest penetration was to the Torrey Pines 33 on their first series, but a holding penalty and a sack by Kade Wilken pushed the visitors back to their own 48 before being forced to punt.

The Falcons finally crossed the goal line on their second series of the third period as a 21-yard run by Sweeney and a 39-yard pass from Tu to Rodgers led to a 1-yard scoring plunge by Sweeney for a 13-0 lead with 4:56 left in the third quarter.

A 24-yard TD run by Brett Barry sealed the outcome with 9:28 left in the contest, and Mannarino’s interception at the goal line with 5:33 remaining ended the Knights’ last opportunity.

Both teams are in action next weekend for their final nonleague tune-ups, but neither are playing on Friday night. Torrey Pines will be on the road at Rancho Bernardo on Thursday, Sept. 14, and San Marcos will host arch-rival Mission Hills on Saturday, Sept. 16.