GARDEN GROVE – Friday might been a good look at the immediate future for Pacifica’s football team.
James Anemas and David Carlsson connected on two 40-yard touchdown passes in their first starts as the Mariners defeated Woodbridge 29-0 in the Omicron League.
Addison Adams also rushed for two TDs for Pacifica (2-5, 2-0), which has won two in a row.
Armando Torres intercepted a career-high three passes to help anchor a stifling defense that held the Warriors (1-6, 0-2) to 96 yards of total offense.
It was the first start of the year for Anemas, and Carlsson was returning to the lineup from an early-season injury, Mariners coach Kyle Murphy said.
“Getting those guys back, getting more of your important guys back, really helps,” Murphy said.
Carlsson showed the Mariners what they’d been missing the first time he touched the ball. He came back through the middle on a screen pass, then outran the scattered Woodbridge defense for a 40-yard TD, one play after the Mariners got the ball back on downs after a bad snap on a punt.
The two hooked up again early in the second quarter. Carlsson caught a 25-yarder, then on the next play went the distance on another 40-yarder for a 14-0 lead.
“They have a really good connection, they’re best friends, and you can see that on the field,” Murphy said.
Adams’ second-half rushing touchdowns, from 7 and 2 yards, were window dressing on the work of the defense.
Woodbridge had two shots to get back in the game the third quarter, but their first possession ended on a 3-yard run on fourth-and-8 at the Pacifica 28. The second ended on Torres’ final pick, at the Pacifica 25.
“I was just looking for the open man, I got to him and I got the ball,” Torres said.
The Warriors got into the red zone once, after a 19-yard reception from Caden Jones to Makai Davis moved the ball to the 9. Defensive end Ayden Wells stopped Colin Chen after 2 yards on third-and-5, then Jones was pressured into a fourth-down incompletion.
The Warriors got no closer than the 28-yard line the rest of the game.
Pacifica made four tackles for loss, and even defensive end Hayden Hodges got into the pass defense with a deflection at the line.
The final cruel stroke for Woodbridge came early in the fourth quarter when the snap sailed over the head of its punter and he covered the ball in the end zone for a 29-yard loss and a safety.
The Mariners took the ensuing free kick and scored again on Adams’ second TD with 8:32 remaining.
At that point, Woodbridge coach Aaron Craver asked the officials to stop the game. The Warriors had several injuries and the atmosphere on the field was becoming toxic – there were a half-dozen personal fouls and unsportsmanlike penalties called, along a targeting penalty on Pacifica.
“I’ve never seen it, either,” Murphy said. “They said they had too many injuries, and that it was getting chippy for them. They’re worried about losing more guys so they asked us to stop the game.”
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