San Clemente rallies to claim first state championship

Video: Austin Whitsett Highlights
Highlights of San Clemente running back Austin Whitsett vs. Edison.

The moto around San Clemente is "one town, one school."

"We're old school," coach Jaime Ortiz said. "Kids in the community want to be a Triton."

They'll really want to after San Clemente (Calif.) won in its first trip to the CIF State Championship Bowl Games, knocking off a veteran Del Oro (Loomis) club 22-17 Saturday at Sacramento State.

It was a complete uphill climb as the Tritons fought back from a 17-0 deficit thanks largely to the late heroics from Brandon Reaves.

The 5-foo-10, 170-pound senior scored two touchdowns with a 1 minute, 10 second span of the fourth quarter to give the Tritons an unlikely victory over the defending state champions.

"It's a great testament to the boys character," Ortiz said. "To rally and beat a team like that shows the determination and will of this group."

San Clemente had never played in the regional bowl games as it won its first ever Southern Section football championship with a 45-35 win over Murrieta Valley in the Southern Section Division 2 final.

See box score

It was all Del Oro early, jumping to a 17-0 lead by late in the first half.

Dalton Gee scored on a 22-yard run to open the scoring, capping a seven-play, 67-yard drive with 4:52 left in the first quarter. Del Oro (Loomis, Calif.)

Stone Smartt finished off another long drive, 11-plays and 88 yards, with a 2-yard touchdown to go up 14-0 midway through the second quarter and after a Camrion Davis interception, Conor Calvert drilled a 26-yard field goal to go up 17-0 with 3:50 left in the half.

But the tide turned shortly after following a muffed punt.

Jack Sears connected with Chase Berman on a 12-yard touchdown to close to 17-7, and after a bad punt snap, punter Conor Calvert was tackled in the end zone, making it 17-9 heading into halftime.

After a scoreless third quarter, Reaves turned into the hero. First he scored on a 1-yard touchdown with 6:48 to closed to 17-15 (a Sears two-point pass went incomplete), then the 5-9, 170-pound senior returned a punt 54 yards for a touchdown to give San Clement its first lead, 22-17 with 5:38 to play.

San Clemente went in for a game-clinching touchdown, but fumbled in the end zone and Davis recovered with 48 seconds left. But Sears, a Division I quarterback recruit, entered as a safety and finished the game with an interception.

It was a fitting finish for the defense, which allowed just 223 yards. It was led by Ryan Russell with 12 tackles.

"I told the team they had 24 more minutes of the season," Ortiz said. "I asked them how do they want to be remembered."

The Tritons answered emphatically: "As state champions."

San Clemente (13-3) reached the I-A final with a 39-35 win over Edison (Huntington Beach), the Southern Section Division III champion.

Del Oro, which won the Division II-AA game last year 16-13 over Camarillo, competed in the Division I-A game this year against the Tritons. Del Oro (13-3), the Sac-Joaquin Section Division II champion, advanced to the final with a 57-16 win over Bakersfield, the Central Section Division 1 champ.

The score of the regional playoffs was nearly a reversal of the 2013 Division I state bowl game when Bakersfield defeated Del Oro 56-26. Del Oro also lost in the 2011 Division II final to Helix (La Mesa), 35-24.

San Clemente 22, Del Oro 17

San Clemente  0  9  0  13 — 22
Del Oro            7 10  0   0 — 17

First quarter
DO - Gee 22 run (pass failed), 4:52

Second quarter
DO - Smartt 2 run (Hurst rush), 6:28
DO - FG, Calvert 26
SC - Berman 12 pass from Sears (Paulson kick), 1:05
SC - Safety, punter tackled in end zone, :10

Fourth quarter
SC - Reaves 1 run (pass failed), 6:48
SC - Reaves 54 punt return (Paulson kick), 5:38

RUSHING
SC - Reaves 14-63, Sears 11-42, Whitsett 9-41, Rex 1-4. DO - Gee 12-83, Davis 14-46, Smartt 12-3, Hurst 1-0.

PASSING
SC - Sears 9-17-2-95. DO - Smartt 8-15-1-104, Hurst 1-1-0-9.

RECEIVING
SC - Rex 3-21, Jones 2-38, Whitsett 1-19, Berman 1-12. DO - Hurst 6-76, Thomas 1-18, Smartt 1-9, Davis 1-3.

TACKLES
SC - Russell 12, Mikulec 7, Croft 6, Moore 6. DO - Hurst 9, Birch 9, White 8, Lune 7.

TEAM STATS
First downs: SC 15, DO 13
Rushes/yards: SC 35-150, DO 40-110
Total yards: SC 245, DO 223
Turnovers: SC 3, DO 2
Penalties: SC 3-15, DO 7-67
TOM: SC 21:56, DO 26:04