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The562’s coverage of football in 2023-24 is sponsored in part by the MemorialCare Long Beach Medical Center Foundation and Miller Children’s and Women’s Hospital Foundation
St. Anthony kicked off the Long Beach football week early onThursday night, but didn’t start quickly enough as the Saints fell behind early and lost to visiting Brentwood 31-13 at the new Clark Field.
“We’re a little banged up,” St. Anthony coach Raul Lara said. “I didn’t start (quarterback) Adrian Perez as he’s got some injuries that we’re trying to get healed. We also knew Brentwood was a very good football program. They lost their last two games, so we knew they were hungry coming in here and I knew they were gonna give us a challenge. We just need to get healthy. So hopefully we can get healthy and bounce back.”
Following a blocked punt on the Saints first drive, the Eagles jumped out to a quick start led by senior quarterback Boone Lourd. The three-star quarterback linked up with numerous receivers, including fellow three-star tight end Dylan Karz on their very first play from scrimmage. The tandem found the endzone on a 56-yard catch along the right sideline to break the scoreboard.
The Eagles kept their foot on the gas, adding two more touchdowns in the half off a rush from Viggo Zeitlian and another hook-up from Lourd to Karz from two yards out. Brentwood’s three unanswered touchdowns gave them a 21-0 lead at half.
“They did a fantastic job,” Lara said of Brentwood’s success. “They got at us and got a lead putting up plenty of points where we had to try and catch up.”
The Eagles would finish out the game pouring on a field goal as well as a touchdown from Davis Wong on a 45-yard reception from Lourd.
St. Anthony’s only couple sparks of life would come in the second half. A few seconds into the fourth quarter, Christian Martin scooped up a Brentwood blocked punt, taking it into the endzone for the Saints first touchdown.
Just a drive later the Saints would find the endzone again, this time from the offense. Bryson Busbee dusted the Eagles defense down the field for a 77-yard scamper, giving the Saints crowd something to cheer about. Busbee finished with triple-digit rushing yards off of just seven carries.
“When we went in for half time we talked about not giving up and fighting back,” Lara said. “This is the second time (this season) that we have fallen behind at half time and come back to have a better half. So I thought that was a good sign.”
While speaking to his team after the game, Lara emphasized the importance of learning from these difficult games. Lara highlighted the fact that it’s still preseason for the Saints, so it’s okay to lose tough games in order to get better and perform well in league and playoff games.
“We just gotta look at the big picture,” he said. “Obviously you wanna win every game, but you know the games that really count are the league games and obviously the playoff games. It’s a process. The key for me is to see my team improve. I’ve seen glimpses of it, but we still have some ways to go.”
The Saints will travel to Desert High School on Friday to close non-league play.
