Efficient Eli MacNeal has Carlsbad on doorstep of Open Division championship

CARLSBAD — For two years, Eli MacNeal stood on the Carlsbad High School football sidelines and watched Julian Sayin carve up opposing defenses.

Sayin has moved on to Ohio State and is eating up college defenses as a Heisman Trophy candidate.

“Julian was great to me,” MacNeal said. “I learned so much from him. We still talk.”

MacNeal, the son of Carlsbad coach Thadd MacNeal, learned his lessons well.

Eli will be the Lancers’ starting quarterback against Cathedral Catholic in Tuesday’s CIF San Diego Section Open Division championship game at Southwestern College.

“I’m excited,” said MacNeal, who is committed to Cornell, choosing the Big Red over Penn, Brown, UNLV, New Mexico and Indiana.

The younger MacNeal is the latest in a long line of top-flight Carlsbad quarterbacks.

The list includes his father, who led the Lancers in 1989; left-hander Sean Canfield, who played at Oregon State and in the NFL; Christian Chapman, who has more wins than any other San Diego State quarterback; Tanner Wrisley, who played at Harvard; Aiden Sayin, who had his career at Penn cut short by injuries; and Julian Sayin.

In two seasons as a starter, MacNeal has completed 76.9% of his 300 passes, including 78.1% this season. He has thrown for 1,870 yards with 29 touchdowns in 10 games … not playing one game when Valley Center was forced to forfeit for lack of healthy players. He has thrown just three interceptions. All three came in the same game, a home loss to La Costa Canyon.

MacNeal attempted 111 passes at the start of the season before throwing an interception. The streak is currently at 28.

“I know I’m his dad, but Eli is really humble, just like Julian. He’s driven, really competitive,” Thadd MacNeal said.

“Following Julian, the expectations were really high. Julian was one of a kind, but Eli has a lot of the same qualities. He’s fast and he’s accurate.”

Eli MacNeal has been around the Carlsbad program — and his dad — long enough to know what’s expected of the quarterback. Carlsbad’s directive is to “control the ball and the clock,” he said.

“We want to keep the other team’s offense off the field,” he said. “The only stat we worry about is being efficient.”

Cathedral Catholic coach Sean Doyle knows what it’s like to coach your son. His son, Nick, started for the Dons as a defensive back in 2006.

“Thadd and Eli have a special family connection,” Doyle said. “I loved coaching my son. It was some of the best times of my career. It’s obvious Thadd enjoys it, too.”

Doyle and the Dons have had ample time to study Eli MacNeal and the Carlsbad offense.

“Eli’s completing 78% of his passes. That’s a crazy number,” Doyle said. “Obviously, he’s accurate. He makes good decisions, and he doesn’t get rattled.”

Cornell also values an efficient passer. Their current starter, La Jolla Country Day graduate Garrett Bass-Sulpizio, has completed 64.3% of his 289 passes this season.

Eli MacNeal said he’s known the Cornell coaching staff for years. He said he had a “cool visit” to the Ivy League school, where he plans to major in hotel and hospitality management.

“Ultimately,” he said, “the opportunity to play football and get an Ivy League education was a huge plus.”

Like Sayin, who has put 30 pounds on his 6-foot-1 frame since leaving high school, MacNeal knows he needs to get bigger. He’s listed at 6 feet tall and 180 pounds.

“That’s my biggest weakness,” he said.

As for his strengths?

“I’m an accurate passer,” he said. “I have a high football IQ. I’m fast and can get out of trouble. I need to stay in the pocket longer and not force things. But I’m getting better. I’m super grateful, blessed honestly, that I’ve had the opportunity to play at Carlsbad, play with guys like Julian Sayin, play with guys like Connor Hawk and Rocky Cummings.

“And have the opportunity to play for my dad. We get to play in a championship game, we’re playing to win, playing for a state championship. We don’t want Tuesday to be our last game together.”

CIF San Diego Section Open Division Championship Game: No. 3 Carlsbad (10-1) vs. No. 4 Cathedral Catholic (9-2)

When: 7 p.m. Tuesday

Where: Southwestern College