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Despite a resilient effort and burst of energy in the second half, St. Anthony couldn’t overcome a stagnant offense and miscues down the stretch, losing to Torrance 28-7 at Clark Field on Friday night.
This loss marks the end of a grueling opening set of games for the Saints, as they faced three championship-caliber teams in Mount Miguel, Lakewood, and now Torrance.
“I told my guys, these last three games are in the past,” said St. Anthony head coach Jeff Magdaleno. “We’ve played three fantastic teams and learned a lot from these games, and Torrance is no exception.”
Torrance played a similar strategy as St. Anthony, prioritizing running the ball and milking the clock as they ran on long sustained drives that wore out the Saints’ defense.
“They ate up the clock, and when you’re trying to come back that works against you,” said Magdaleno.
Jasiah Lolesio-Pua was the bright spot of the game for the Saints, showing off his versatility with over 50 yards on the ground game and as a receiver, including a touchdown run, while also recording multiple tackles on defense.
“We put emphasis this week on being more creative with getting him the ball,” said Magdaleno. “He’s a key part of our offense, and we gotta use and continue to rely on our playmakers as much as we can going forward.”
Sophomore Aidan Jones started for the Saints at quarterback, finishing with 124 yards and two interceptions. Jeremiah Taufi led the ground game with 73 rushing yards.
The St. Anthony offense looked solid on their first drive, moving the ball 50 yards downfield, however a 4th and 1 attempt that was initially a completion to Lolesio-Pua was overruled as he had lost complete possession of the ball falling to the ground. Torrance responded with a 48 yard drive, but their attempted field goal was blocked by Troy Norried to keep the game scoreless at the end of one quarter.
However, in the second quarter, Torrance’s offense found its momentum and took advantage of St. Anthony miscues. Following an interception that set them up with great field position, Torrance quickly drove 30 yards for a touchdown punctuated by their running back Jake Silverman.
After a drive-killing sack on Jones, Torrance struck again with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Zachary Papsoce. Following another stalled drive by St Anthony, Torrance’s Vaugh Reinert took a punt return to the house, a 65-yard touchdown run. In the blink of an eye, St Anthony was down 21-0.
The Saints came out with more energy in the second half and found momentum with a 62-yard touchdown drive taking advantage of roughing the passer and roughing the kicker penalties on Torrance, with Lolesio-Pua carrying bodies with him during his 5-yard touchdown run.
On the ensuing drive, St. Anthony got a huge stop on 4th down but failed to capitalize on prime field position with another drive killed by a Torrance sack. Torrance regained momentum and quarterback Gibson Turner used his legs to score another touchdown to cement their victory.
“We’re in this game if we execute and not hurt ourselves,” said Magdaleno. “We did a better job today, but still had two turnovers, and gave up a punt for a touchdown. That can’t happen no matter the level of competition.”
Magdaleno hopes his team can learn from these games and embrace the growing pains as they move forward this season. They are visiting Summit next week.
“Obviously being 0-3 is not good for morale,” said Magdaleno. “But they’re all stepping stones for the season. It’s all about execution, and we executed better tonight and will continue to learn every game.”
