Labrum tears it up as Santa Fe Christian beats Christian, stays undefeated

EL CAJON — Dax Labrum ran for two touchdowns in the first half and threw a 47-yard scoring pass to Joshua Husmann with just more than five minutes left to lead undefeated Santa Fe Christian to a 28-14 win against Christian on Friday night.

The Eagles opened the season 5-0 for the first time since starting 10-0 in 2021. They’ve outscored Madison, Valley Center, Westview, Vista and Christian 182-68.

Labrum scored on keepers of 4 and 1 yards to help the Eagles to a 21-7 halftime lead at Grossmont High.

The clinching drive started when Husmann intercepted Christian’s Kaleb Runkle, with the drive starting on the Christian 37 due to a holding penalty on the return. On third-and-20 from the 47, Labrum found Husmann on a screen pass and the senior running back broke several tackles on his way to the end zone for a 28-14 lead.

Husmann praised his teammates for making both plays work.

“It feels really good. The line forcing that throw, making it a poor pass, and also my blockers on offense, I mean, I can’t do it without them,” he said. “You saw those guys flying across the field making blocks so I could make a play.”

Husmann wasn’t sure how many tackles he broke on his way to the end zone.

“I lost count. I can’t even remember. It felt like a lot. The play’s called ‘jailbreak,’ it’s one of my favorites, it’s a little screen pass. It’s awesome.”

Coach Jon Wallace called Husmann “just an awesome kid. He’s been in the program for a long time and just grinding, grinding. All the hard work’s paying off. He’s the kind of kid you want in your program.”

Remaining undefeated “is a good feeling, especially coming out here against our rivals,” Husmann said. “They fought hard, too. We just fought harder and managed to pull it out.”

Husmann’s interception came three plays after Gage Humora intercepted Labrum.

Christian (1-3) had come up empty on a long drive that ate up nearly nine minutes of the third quarter, turning the ball over on downs deep in Eagles territory.

But Santa Fe Christian had to punt, and Kai Rosier returned it 45 yards to the Eagles’ 3-yard line, where Hank Houston ran it in to pull the Patriots to 21-14.

Santa Fe Christian got a big score as the first half ended.

Leading 13-7 with 2:45 to go before halftime, the Eagles got a 26-yard punt return by Gavin Rotsheck to the Christian 36.

Labrum methodically moved the Eagles downfield by completing 6 of 9 passes for 34 yards. On first-and-goal from the 1, Labrum scored on a keeper. Christian was whistled for a penalty on the PAT, so the Eagles ran a conversion play with Brady Berg scoring to give them a 21-7 lead.

Runkle scored on a 5-yard keeper on the game’s first possession.

Santa Fe Christian answered with Lincoln Mundis’ 3-yard run on its first possession but Humora blocked the extra point.

Labrum capped an 80-yard drive on the Eagles’ third possession with a 4-yard keeper for a 13-7 lead. The Eagles opened the drive with a 17-yard run by Rotsheck and a 41-yard reception by Mundis.