No. 3 La Costa Canyon beats rival, loses star running back

by Breven Honda

CARLSBAD — The mentality between focusing on the final regular-season game and worrying about playoff seeding can be difficult, especially at the top.

Third-ranked La Costa Canyon entered Thursday facing rival Torrey Pines, in the Beach Bowl, while also having the chance to win and share an Avocado West League title with Carlsbad.

A four-minute drive resulting in a touchdown to end the first half combined with a 1-yard touchdown run from La Costa Canyon quarterback Quinn Roth to begin the third quarter fueled the Mavericks to a 31-20 Senior Night home victory over Torrey Pines to claim the Surfboard for the first time in 12 years.

“It shows our toughness,” said Roth, who completed 8-of-12 passes for 136 yards and a touchdown. “We’re able to score when we need to, especially before half, and also on the goal line, fourth down. It shows the toughness of our O-line and our receivers.”

However, on the opening play of the third quarter, La Costa Canyon senior running back Coby Herman, who totaled 142 yards and two touchdowns, including a 90-yard score during the first two quarters, suffered a lower left leg injury while being tackled on an 11-yard run.

“He’s a generational talent,” Mavericks head coach Sean Sovacool said of Herman, who did not play the rest of the game. “He’s arguably the best player in San Diego. He will be on the (KUSI ‘Prep Pigskin Report’) Silver Pigskin panel. He belongs on it. He’s just special.”

With Herman out, the Mavericks utilized their depth. Luke Ivey stepped in and recorded 11 carries for 50 yards.

“We’ve got a lot of depth. He’s got a lot of talent,” Sovacool said. “Luke’s a really good football player. Great kid, good athlete. Coby is Coby, but we’ve got a lot of weapons.”

Roth was still able to find his weapons in the passing game. Senior Jackson Maggiore caught four passes for 112 yards, including a 55-yard catch and run on the first offensive play for the Mavericks.

“We talked about it all week,” Roth said on the long play to start the game. “We came out, executed, the O-line blocked great on that play. They gave me time, and Jackson and all the guys did their job.”

Sophomore wide receiver Blake Larson caught a 9-yard touchdown to wrap up the first half as part of a 9-play, 68-yard drive in a well-executed four-minute offense.

After the Mavericks took a 28-7 lead with 4:48 left in the third quarter, Torrey Pines went on a 9-play, 80-yard drive, capped off by a 43-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Blake Miller to Logan Bonneau as dense fog blanketed the field.

The Falcons also cut the deficit down to 14-7 with a 1-yard touchdown run by senior Dominic Rocha to cap off a 17-play, 77-yard drive, taking nearly nine minutes off the clock. Rocha logged 17 carries for 58 yards and a touchdown as well as four receptions for 49 yards.