Sierra Canyon coughed the ball up four times in the first half, including three times deep in Chaminade-Madonna territory. Instead of potentially being up by at least three scores, the Trailblazers went into halftime tied 7-7 with the Lions.
But Sierra Canyon outscored Chaminade-Madonna 17-0 in the second half, largely on the back of Cal commit
Jaxsen Stokes. The 5-foot-10 senior ran for 194 yards on 26 carries and caught a 27-yard touchdown pass on the night.
Cal commit Jaxsen Stokes was a difference-maker in Thursday night's California-Florida showdown won by Sierra Canyon. The Trailblazers have won 12 of their last 13 games dating back to last season. (PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
Stokes was on the receiving end of a
Myles Baker halfback pass after
Carter Sobel booted a 34-yard field to give the Trailblazers the lead for good in the third quarter. Baker would later score on a 19-yard run to provide a 24-7 edge.
In the first half, Sierra Canyon dominated both time of possession and yardage as Stokes ran wild, compiling 121 yards on 16 carries. His first fumble led to the Chaminade-Madonna score and his second thwarted a potential scoring drive deep in the second quarter.
The Trailblazers gave away the ball on their first possession as
Micah Slade was fighting to get into the end zone after a 48-yard catch-and-run. Sierra Canyon answered with a 13-play, 79-yard scoring drive on its next possession as
Demarco Hernandez found sophomore tight end
Stephan Harrison for a 10-yard strike.
In the second quarter, Sierra Canyon linebacker
Eli Zamorano was racing to pay dirt but had the ball punched out by Peter Pierre at the goal line.
After Chaminade-Madonna flipped the field on a 56-yard punt,
Ron'Christopher Gonzales pounced on Stokes' first fumble. That led to a 1-yard plunge from senior running back
Amos Bradford out of the wildcat formation that knotted the score at 7-7. Bradford was limited to just 27 yards on 15 carries by a Sierra Canyon's highly-touted defense.
King Webb of Sierra Canyon lays out for a catch Thursday against Chaminade-Madonna. The junior made the grab but it was nullified by a penalty. (PHOTO: Jeff Klein)
