Thursday, October 30, 2014

JSerra VS. OLU 2014

Riley punt block

Conor Tackling on the Right FRONT page of the OC Register

More milestones, momentum for JSerra

October 31, 2014 12:15 AM

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BY DAN ALBANO

STAFF WRITER

COSTA MESA - JSerra passed its first test as Orange County’s top-ranked team, but the Lions took a giant step toward a more important landmark Thursday night in the Trinity League.

With their faithful chanting “CIF! CIF! CIF!” from the stands in the closing seconds, the Lions held off No. 5 Orange Lutheran, 24-20, at Orange Coast College to move closer to the first playoff berth in school history.

JSerra (8-1) won its school-record eighth game, but more importantly, it improved to 3-1 in the Trinity League with a finale against Servite on the schedule for next week at Saddleback College.

“Hopefully this was enough to get in (CIF),” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said. “Our No. 1 goal this year was to make the playoffs. … Hats off to our kids. They played hard.”

Orange Lutheran (4-5, 0-4) likely had its postseason chances ended. The Lancers lost another close game and their fans voiced displeasure with a turn of events in the final minute or so.

The Lancers cut JSerra’s lead to 24-20 with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter on a spectacular, 55-yard TD pass from quarterback LJ Northington to wide receiver Hudson Hankins. After the PAT sailed wide, the Lancers recovered the onside kick but were flagged for illegal batting the ball forward, Hartigan said.

On the onside play, the Lancers’ Austin Liles leaped along the JSerra sideline to hit the high-bouncing kick to a teammate who recovered the ball. But JSerra took possession and ran out the clock.

“It was forward,” Hartigan said of tip. “(But) very scary. We had an onside kick against (St. John) Bosco on this same field that we didn't get in our favor. ... I didn't want to have another one of those.”

Orange Lutheran coach Chuck Petersen said the onside play didn't decide the outcome and gave credit to JSerra.

"I've never heard of that call ... but that's not the reason we lost the game," he said. "JSerra played better than us. They coached better than us, and there were many opportunities in that ballgame for us to make some plays."

Quarterback Nick Robinson scored two 1-yard TD runs in the second half for the Lions, who never trailed and led, 10-7, at halftime. The senior also passed for 218 yards, including a 17-yard TD on a fly-pitch to Isaiah Diego-Williams (eight catches for 104 yards).

Robinson scored one of his TDs one play after being flipped onto his head attempting to dive over multiple defenders into the end zone.

"I'm just glad he got back up," Hartigan said. "He's a tough kid. That's Nick."

JSerra’s defense made its biggest stand of the fourth by forcing Orange Lutheran to turn the ball over on downs at the Lions 22 with 4:32 left. Safety Conor O’Brien (two interceptions) broke up a fourth-down pass and lineman Daniel Bailey (sack) made a tackle for loss on third down as JSerra protected a then, 24-14 lead. Bailey finished with two tackles for losses and added one quarterback hurry.

Orange Lutheran's four-point loss joins a ledger that include two three-point losses and one one-point defeat.

"It just says how good our league is," Petersen said. "You've got a four-loss team and they've been competitive. ... It says a lot about our kids that through disappointment and adversity, they continue to really fight. They've come back every time I've asked them to."

Orange Lutheran slightly outgained JSerra, 338-329, but the Lions didn't commit a turnover and forced two.

JSerra led, 10-7, at halftime thanks in large part to a couple interceptions by O’Brien. The senior intercepted passes at his 1 and 9 to wipe away scoring chances by the Lancers.

O’Brien's brother, Riley, also blocked a punt on Orange Lutheran’s game-opening possession, leading to a 30-yard field goal by Ethan Worden for an early 3-0 lead.

JSerra extended its lead to 10-0 on Robinson's 17-yard TD pass to Diego-Williams with 4:33 left in the half. Diego-Williams flashed his speed on the play. He came in motion from his receiver position and took a short pitch in front of Robinson and raced around the edge into the end zone.

A 26-yard punt return by Ethan Aguayo to the Lancers 42 gave the Lions good starting position for the scoring drive.

Orange Lutheran responded with a 56-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard TD sneak by Northington with 53 seconds left. Markell Quinn put the Lancers in good field position for the drive with a 43-yard kickoff return.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com

Conor had an amazing game against OLU!

VICTORY 24-20

Check out the link below Conor made UTR Top Nation Performer of the week!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JjONdb6j6M&feature=youtu.be

Friday, October 24, 2014

JSerra VICTORY over Mater Dei! 2014

Huge breakthrough for No. 2 JSerra

October 25, 2014 12:30 AM

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BY STEVE FRYER

STAFF WRITER

SANTA ANA – The Orange County football universe changed Friday.

JSerra 17, Mater Dei 10.

It was only a few years that JSerra had to forfeit Trinity League games because it did not have enough healthy players to finish the season. Then the Lions started winning a league game here and there. They won their final two league games last year.

Now, JSerra is the No. 1 team in Orange County. The Lions were No. 2 this week in the Register’s poll. They just beat the No. 1 team, Mater Dei.

An obvious question -- Is beating Mater Dei the biggest win in JSerra football history? -- prompted an obvious answer.

“I’d have to say so,” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said. “Yeah, sure.”

JSerra has won a couple of CIF championships in other sports. But nothing in the young school’s sports history perhaps matches beating Mater Dei in varsity football.

“It’s a great feeling,” JSerra quarterback Nick Robinson said. “I can’t describe it.”

Robinson did his part. His first pass of the game, on JSerra’s first offensive play of the game, was a 97-yard touchdown pass to Isaiah Diego-Williams. He threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to Sam Philippi in the third quarter to put JSerra ahead to stay, 14-10.

Another big play was something of a gamble. JSerra, on fourth-and-7 at the Lions’ 35-yard line, was lined up for a punt with less than two minutes to go. The snap went to up-back Aaron Matthews who ran it 10 yards for a first down.

That sealed the win for JSerra (7-1 overall, 2-1 in league).

Mater Dei (6-2, 1-2) likely needs to win its next two league games to get a guaranteed playoff berth. The Monarchs might end up being in the pool of candidates for one of the Pac-5 Division’s two at-large berths.

The Lions won without much production from running back Edward Vander. He rushed for 217 yards in last week’s loss to St. John Bosco, but was held to 46 yards on 16 carries Friday; he had only 5 yards on six first-half carries.

Philippi had eight catches for 110 yards. JSerra’s defense made several huge stops.

It was 7-7 at halftime. Mater Dei took a 10-7 lead on a 28-yard field goal by Elais Deeb in the third quarter.

Phippi’s touchdown reception put the Lions ahead to stay, 17-10. Evan Worden added three points on a fourth-quarter field goal.

Mater Dei’s game-opening possession ended with a punt that put JSerra on its 3-yard line. On the first play, Nick Robinson unleashed the long pass over the middle that Diego-Williams caught in stride near the JSerra 40. Diego-Williams outraced the defender for a 97-yard touchdown pass play.

The Monarchs got their first-half points on a 30-yard touchdown pass from Jack Lowary to Andres Udria to tie the game, 7-7, in the second quarter to tie the game, 7-7.

Mater Dei plays home games the next two weeks, the final two weeks of the regular season. The Monarchs play Santa Margarita at Santa Ana Stadium next Friday and play Orange Lutheran there Nov. 7.

JSerra plays Orange Lutheran Thursday at Orange Coast College. The Lions conclude the regular season with a home game against Servite on Nov. 7 at Saddleback College.

Contact the writer: sfryer@ocregister.com

CONOR had an amazing defensive game! We were so proud of Conor and all the boys. They have worked so hard for so long and it paid off tonight!!! CONGRATS Love you Mom, Dad, Elle, Papa and Grandma

Football: JSerra Earns Milestone Win Over Mater Dei

By Jason Eichelberger
Updated: 10/25/2014

JSerra’s Sam Philippi escapes a tackle by Mater Dei’s Ben Humphreys and Jalen Cole on a 49-yard touchdown during the third quarter of a Trinity League game at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. PHOTO BY JOSH BARBER

SANTA ANA- No more “moral” victories. No more close calls. No more showing improvement in the face of an agonizing defeat.

A gritty road effort by the JSerra Lions against one of the Trinity League’s traditional standards of excellence was finally represented with tangible success on the scoreboard.

JSerra’s Edward Vander is tackled by Mater Dei’s Gerran Brown during the first half of a Trinity League game at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. PHOTO BY JOSH BARBER

Senior quarterback Nick Robinson threw for 209 yards and two touchdown passes,as the Lions knocked off Mater Dei, 17-10, Friday at Santa Ana Stadium.

“This is the best win in my JSerra career,” said Robinson, a three-year starter. “We finally knocked off Mater Dei, a great school with tradition.”

The Lions (7-1 overall, 2-1 in league) officially cemented their current standing as a bona fide league power with a historic triumph as they earned their first ever win over Mater Dei (6-2, 1-2).

Since 2006, Mater Dei had accumulated a perfect 8-0 record against the Lions, winning by an average margin of 34 points.

“Overall, this was a great victory for the school,” Lions coach Jim Hartigan said. “This week, we talked about what we had to do to get better and we did those things.”

JSerra’s victory not only put an end to that string of domination, but moved the Lions to the doorstep of their first ever Pac-5 playoff berth.

Mater Dei’s Andres Udria avoids a tackle by JSerra’s Riley O’Brien on his way to a 30-yard touchdown during the second quarter of a Trinity League game at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. PHOTO BY JOSH BARBER.

With league games against Orange Lutheran (0-3) and Servite (1-2) remaining on their regular season schedule, a Lions’ victory in one of those two contests would clinch a playoff spot.

But Robinson knows there is still work to be done before the playoffs become a reality.

“Every game is going to be a fight because all the teams in the Trinity League are great,” Robinson said.

Friday’s meeting marked the first time that both teams entered their annual battle considered among the best in California.

Mater Dei entered ranked No. 3 in the Cal-Hi Sports state rankings, No. 2 in the CIF Pac-5 Division, and No. 2 in the OC Sidelines Top 20.

JSerra was ranked ninth, fifth and third, respectively. .

After forcing Mater Dei to punt on the game’s first series, the Lions’ first offensive snap of the game yielded a huge play.

Starting at his own 3-yard line, Robinson dropped back and fired a perfect pass to receiver Isaiah Diego-Williams, who outraced the Monarchs defense to the end zone to complete a 97-yard touchdown reception and give JSerra a 7-0 lead.

JSerra’s Sam Philippi catches a pass during a 49-yard touchdown play during the third quarter of a Trinity League game against Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. PHOTO BY JOSH BARBER.

“Nick came up with a big throw,” Hartigan said.

Despite the big play, Mater Dei possessed the ball for all but 13 seconds of the first quarter and outgained the Lions in total yardage for the half 179-125.

The Monarchs tied the game with just under seven minutes left in the first half, as senior wide receiver Andres Udria took a pass from senior quarterback Jack Lowary and weaved his way into the end zone to complete a 30-yard touchdown reception.

Mater Dei had one final chance to take the lead late in the half, but Diego-Williams intercepted Lowary at the Lions’ 22-yard line with 1:16 remaining before the intermission.

An interception by Monarchs’ defensive back Jalen Cole on Robinson’s first pass of the second half set up a 28-yard field goal by Elias Deeb that gave Mater Dei its first and only lead of the night at 10-7.

Robinson and senior wide receiver Sam Philippi answered later in the period. One play after connecting on an 18-yard pass play to the Monarchs 49-yard line, Robinson fired a strike over the middle to Philippi, who made a leaping two-handed catch, broke a tackle, and raced into the end zone to give JSerra a 14-10 lead.

Philippi finished with 8 receptions for 112 yards.

The Lions embarked on a 14-play, 52-yard march that burned nearly seven minutes off the clock and bridged the third and fourth quarters. The drive resulted in a 39-yard field goal by junior Ethan Worden to give JSerra a 17-10 advantage.

Mater Dei drove to the Lions’ 32-yard line with under five minutes remaining, but JSerra’s defense held on fourth down to force a turnover.

The Monarchs’ defense forced JSerra into a fourth and 2 snap from its own 40-yard line with under two minutes. The Lions, victimized by a fake punt in last week’s narrow defeat to St. John Bosco, showed they could do the same thing.

Senior Aaron Matthews took a direct snap from center and rumbled five yards for the game-clinching first down.

“We saw that there was an overload to the left, so we called a quick run to the right,” Matthews said. “This is a great feeling because Mater Dei is a good team and we needed to win to make sure we had a chance to go to the playoffs in a couple weeks.”

Hartigan also pointed to the fake punt as the game-sealing turning point.

“We got the look that we wanted and thought we could get the first down,” Hartigan said. “It was a great way to finish.”

Follow us on Twitter @OCSidelines and at Facebook.com/OCSidelines.

JSerra’s Isaiah Diego-Williams makes a go-ahead catch touchdown catch during the first quarter of a Trinity League game against Mater Dei at Santa Ana Stadium on Friday, Oct. 24. PHOTO BY JOSH BARBER.

Wednesday, October 22, 2014

Hudl Conor O'Brien Junior Highlights 2014

Conor, we are so proud of you! You have played so well this season! Keep up the great work!
To check out Conor's 2014 season highlights copy and paste link below.

http://www.hudl.com/athlete/1664038/highlights/175751381

Friday, October 17, 2014

JSerra Vs. St. John Bosco 2014

JSerra falls short in epic battle with St. John Bosco

October 17, 2014 11:54 PM

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BY KENNY CONNOLLY

STAFF WRITER

COSTA MESA – At the end of the day, someone inevitably had to lose Friday night’s epic back-and-forth game between JSerra and St. John Bosco.

While the Lions will be credited with the loss, there’s no doubting this JSerra team is one of the best teams in not only the Pac-5 Division, but the state.

St. John Bosco needed every one of running back Sean McGrew’s 385 rushing yards and all five of his touchdowns to hold off No. 3 JSerra in a 49-44 Trinity League showdown played at Orange Coast College.

Edward Vander played like an All-County running back for JSerra, totaling 217 yards and two touchdowns on 29 carries.

McGrew scored on touchdown runs 16, 75, 75, 4 and 70 to lead his team to the victory.

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VIDEO: Cox 3 Post Game Show: JSerra vs. St. John Bosco

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His final score came with 1:56 remaining in the fourth, with Bosco leading 42-38.

On a fourth-and-16 from its own 30-yard line, Braves coach Jason Negro called for a fake punt with McGrew – the team’s regular punter – back awaiting the snap.

“I thought we were going to punt it because I thought coach was trusting our defense even though they weren’t stopping them all night,” McGrew said. “They brought all 11, they were going all out blitz, no one was sealing the edge, and we just called it.”

The 5-foot-7 speedster went 70 yards untouched, breaking a four-point game into an 11-point Bosco lead, the largest advantage held by either team all night.

JSerra (6-1, 1-1) showed its heart late, driving 67 yards on its ensuing drive in just over a minute. Lions senior quarterback Nick Robinson connected with Ethan Aguayo for the duo’s second touchdown pass, this one a 12-yarder with 44 seconds remaining.

Unable to convert on the 2-point conversion, JSerra lined up for an onside kick, trailing 49-44.

What looked to be a perfectly executed onside kick recovered by the Lions was ruled Braves ball when a Lions player was called for illegal touching.

“It looked clean to me,” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said. “If anything, I thought it may have went 9 1/2 yards, but that’s not what they told me. They said it hit someone’s knee.”

As a result, Bosco (6-1, 2-0) was able to run out the remaining 40 seconds on the clock to extend its Trinity League winning streak to 13 games dating to November 2011.

“It was definitely a battle, we haven’t gone through a game like this all season,” McGrew added.

Contact the writer: kconnolly@ocregister.com