San Clemente Bows From Playoffs After First Round

Junior quarterback Travis Wilson threw for 170 yards and rushed for 71 more, but he completed only 13 of 28 passes and suffered two interceptions in San Clemente's 24-7 los to Lakewood in the first round of the CIF-Southern Section Pac 5 Division playoffs Nov. 19 at Lakewood High.

San Clemente (8-3), the runner-up in the South Coast League, fell behind, 17-0, before it could get the ball into the end zone in the third quarter, when junior Mike Elespuru scored on a three-yard run.

But Lakewood (10-1), runner-up in the Moore League, countered with another touchdown in the fourth quarter to put the game away.

Running back Rashad Wadood didn't practice all week for the Lancers because of a sprained ankle, but he got well quickly against the Tritons, rushing for 195 yards in 34 carries.

Wilson was also San Clemente's leading rusher with 68 yards. Junior Jacob Graff had 72 yards in receptions and senior Jordan Micalef added 62.

Lakewood's only loss this season was to Moore League rival Long Beach Poly, 27-14. The Jackrabbits lost their first-round playoff game to Mater Dei, 26-10.

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San Clemente Football Roundup:

WEEK 10

San Clemente 23, Tesoro 6—The Tritons took advantage of  their opponents' miscues and an out-of-the-ordinary play of their own to secure a second-place finish in the South Coast League with a victory at Tesoro High.

Junior Mike Elespuru put San Clemente (8-2, 3-1 in league) on the scoreboard first with a four-yard run in the first quarter. Tesoro (7-3, 2-2) countered with Matt Adam's three-yard run, but the extra-point attempt was missed.

A 22-yard field goal by senior Alex Alvarez game the Tritons a 10-6 lead at halftime and his 29-yard field goal in the third quarter make it 13-6.

Early in the fourth quarter, junior running back Nick Pasquale lined up at quarterback in the "wildcat" formation. He took the snap and pitched the ball to senior running back Terrell Johnson, who had lined up in the left receiver's spot. Johnson then threw a 24-yard scoring pass to junior quarterback Travis Wilson, who had lined up in the right receiver's spot.

Alvarez added his third field goal of the game, this one from 27 yards, to culminate the scoring.

Wilson completed 11 of 19 passes for 113 yards, senior Jordan Micalef had 80 yards in receptions and Johnson rushed for 77 yards.

San Clemente came into the game ranked No. 7 in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll, while Tesoro was No. 8.

WEEK 9

Bye.

WEEK 8

Mission Viejo 38, San Clemente 24—The Tritons jumped to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter of their South Coast League game and were about to go into their home locker room with a 17-12 halftime lead when lightning struck.

After senior Alex Alvarez made a 29-yard field goal to put San Clemente (7-2, 2-1 in league) up by four points with 32 seconds left, junior quarterback Alex Bridgford drove Mission Viejo (8-0, 2-0) to the Tritons' 35-yard line.

From there, Bridgford connected with Boog Powell in the end zone, giving the Diablos the lead for good at 18-17. Their two-point conversion attempt failed.

Attempting to regain the momentum, the Tritons tried an onside kick to open the second half, but Mission Viejo recovered and drove the length of the field to take a 24-17 lead on Dallas Kessman's 27-yard pass to Frank Randall.

Kessman carried 27 times for 234 yards, including first-half touchdown runs of three and two yards and a four-yard scoring run during a 20-point third quarter for Mission Viejo.

Senior Terrell Johnson, who rushed for a team-high 65 yards, scored touchdowns of eight and 48 yards in the first quarter for San Clemente. Junior Jacob Graff caught a four-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter from junior quarterback Travis Wilson, who completed 13 of 22 passes for 127 yards and rushed for 54 more.

Bridgford completed nine of 11 passes for 169 yards.

USC commit Tre Madden, returning from the foot injury he suffered in the third game of the season, scored on a 10-yard run in the third quarter and had two sacks in the second half.

The Diablos came into the game ranked No. 1 in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division coaches' poll and No. 2 in the O.C. Sportswriters' poll, while the Tritons were ranked Nos. 10 and 5, respectively.

WEEK 7

San Clemente 42, Dana Hills 28—Falling behind their second opponent in a row by double digits early, the Tritons caught up by halftime, then put a stranglehold on the Dolphins' offense in the second half of their South Coast League game before a homecoming crowd at Dana Hills High.

San Clemente (7-1, 2-0 in league) got on the scoreboard first when junior quarterback Travis Wilson connected with senior Jordan Micalef on a 56-yard pass play for a score.

But Dana Hills (3-5, 0-2) quickly responded with Trent Mason's three-first quarter touchdown runs of one, 44 and three yards to make the score 21-7. The senior quarterback ran for 107 yards—112 coming in the first half, but he was sacked three times in the second half.

It was the Tritons' turn in the second quarter, when they outscored the Dolphins, 21-7. Junior Mike Elespuru, who finished with 62 yards rushing, scored on runs of 10 and two yards and junior quarterback Travis Wilson carried it in from one yard.

San Clemente forced Dana Hills to punt on its first possession of the second half, and junior Christian Tober made the play that turned the game around when he returned the kick 70 yards to the Dolphins' 20. Three plays later, junior Nick Pasquale gave the Tritons the lead for good on a nine-yard run.

"It was a deep punt, and I didn't really think I was going to get anything out of it, but I thought, why not, we're playing Dana; it's a rivalry game," Tober told ESPN.com. "I took it, got a block from Conner Stuart on the wing, couple of good blocks, one from Sam Lacebol ... I just took a chance, caught it and went. It's all kind of blurry."

On their next possession, Elespuru capped the night's scoring with a one-yard touchdown run.

Wilson completed six of nine passes for 164 yards and one touchdown, but the Tritons relied primarily on the strength of its offensive linemen to open holes for the ball-carriers, seven of whom combined for 238 yards. Johnson led the way with 65 yards.

WEEK 6

San Clemente 43, Trabuco Hills 19—The Tritons spotted visiting Trabuco Hills 13 points in their South Coast League opener, then came back to overwhelm the Mustangs behind a strong ground attack and the able arm of quarterback Travis Wilson.

It was homecoming at San Clemente High, and the hosts proved a little too hospitable early on, allowing the Mustangs to score on Mitchell Simonsen's 39-yard run and a 10-yard pass completion from Jonathan Newsom to Tobias Dates to take a 13-0 lead after one quarter.

The seventh-ranked Tritons (6-1, 1-0) bounced back, thanks, in part to a 72-yard interception return by sophomore Christian Bailey that set up junior Mike Elespuru's second touchdown of the quarter, this one from three yards, to give his team a 14-13 halftime lead.

Trabuco Hills (4-3, 0-1) pulled ahead, 19-14, in the third quarter when Newsom connected with Lucas Hoover on a 23-yard scoring play, but after that, it was all San Clemente.

Senior Jordan Micalef took the ensuing kickoff 99 yards for a touchdown,  and junior quarterback Travis Wilson ran in the two-point conversion to put the Tritons ahead, 22-19 midway through the third quarter.

Elespuru rushed for a career-best 127 yards and four touchdowns, and senior Terrell Johnson added 86 rushing yards. Senior Spencer Montoya also scored for the Tritons on a nine-yard carry in the fourth quarter.

Wilson completed eight of 17 passes for 112 yards and rushed for another 51, and junior Jacob Graff had a team-high 48 yards in receptions.

WEEK 5

Bye.

WEEK 4

San Clemente 21, Newport Harbor 20—The Tritons could have folded up their tents and spent at least one week licking their wounds from the shellacking they took at the hands of Mater Dei, but instead they came back strong in a nonleague game at Newport Harbor High.

San Clemente missed an opportunity to beat another Sunset League opponent in regulation when, with the score tied at 14, sophomore kicker Bret Miller missed a 27-yard field-goal attempt with 8.8 seconds remaining to play.

But the Tritons (5-1) came through when it counted the most.

After taking possession of the ball at the Newport Harbor 25-yard line in overtime, senior Terrell Johnson scored from three yards and Miller connected on the extra point.

Drew Dilller scored on an eight-yard run in overtime for the Sailors, who decided to go for the two-point conversion and victory.

With the ball at the San Clemente three-yard line, the Tritons were called for an offsides penalty, which moved the ball 1 ½ yards closer to the goal.

On the ensuing play, Diller, who had taken over for Buzzy Yokoyama, the county's second-leading rusher who left the game with an injury to his right knee in the second quarter, was met first by junior defensive tackle Kyle Murphy and junior linebacker Chad Foster, before being swarmed by the rest of the defense, ending the game.

"I'm proud the way our kids played and how tough they played," San Clemente coach Eric Patton told the O.C. Register. "We overcame our own adversity."

San Clemente fell behind twice in the game, responding to Yokoyama's first-quarter, seven-yard touchdown run with a two-yard run by junior Mike Elespuru.

The Sailors led, 14-7, at halftime, but the Tritons got on the board in the third quarter on a four-yard keeper by junior quarterback Travis Wilson, who rushed for a game-high 111 yards.

Wilson finished with 22 completions in 33 pass attempts for 199 yards but no touchdowns for the first time this season. He suffered one interception.

Junior Jacob Graf had a game-high 94 yards in receptions and Johnson had 55.

WEEK 3

Mater Dei 42, San Clemente 14—The time looked right, the game was at home, and the opponent seemed ripe for the picking.

After all, Mater Dei, the benchmark of Orange County football, had consecutive losses—including an embarrassing 44-13 loss to Corona Centennial--and had fallen out of the county's Top 10, while the Tritons were undefeated, ranked fifth and hungry for a signature victory.

"Even though we might be ranked ahead of Mater Dei now, Mater Dei is very dangerous," San Clemente coach Eric Patton told ESPN.com. "It's like playing a cornered animal, they're desperate for a win, and they're better than their record is showing. This is not something that is a wing and a prayer for us. We look forward to having a great game with Mater Dei, and we're very respectful of what they've done."

Well, Mater Dei got its act together, and then some, behind a particularly strong performance from its offensive line, gave quarterback Max Wittek time to throw for 314 yards and four touchdowns.

San Clemente struck first on a 32-yard pass play from junior quarterback
Travis Wilson to junior Jacob Graff, but the Monarchs answered with 28 consecutive points.

The Tritons caught their breath long enough to cut their deficit to 28-14 at halftime on a 10-yard pass play from Wilson to senior Terrell Johnson.

Wilson finished 12 of 30 for 233 yards and two touchdowns with two interceptions. He also had a team-high 49 yards rushing.

Graff totaled a team-high 85 yards in receptions followed by Johnson's 68 and senior Jordan Micalef's 64.

WEEK 2

San Clemente 28, La Costa Canyon 21—In their closest game of the season so far, the Tritons weathered the ending onslaught to hand their hosts their first defeat at home in two seasons.

Junior quarterback Travis Wilson completed 15 of 22 passes for 323 yards and two touchdowns. It was the first time the junior had surpassed the 300-milestone in his brief career.

The last teams to beat La Costa Canyon, ranked fourth in San Diego County, did it on consecutive weeks in 2008—Mission Viejo on Sept. 19 and Santa Margarita on Sept. 26.

Trailing 28-21, La Costa Canyon had three more possessions to try to tie the score, but the Tritons got an interception by junior Christian Tober, a defensive stop on downs and another interception by junior Herbert Gamboa.

Wilson put the Tritons (4-0) on the scoreboard first with a one-yard run in the first quarter.

Wilson made the third quarter his own with a 69-yard pass play to senior Jordan Micalef and a 55-yard pass play to junior Jacob Graff for touchdowns.

Senior Colin Cobb Jr. ran it in from three yards out in the third quarter for the Tritons' last score.

Junior Mike Elespuru led the team in rushing with a game-high 78 yards, and Micalef had a game-high 108 yards in receptions, followed by senior Terrell Johnson with 83.

WEEK 1

San Clemente 59, Fountain Valley 24—The Tritons' offense scored two touchdowns in each quarter—tallying more than 50 points for the first time in five seasons—in the victory over their visiting Sunset League opponent.

The last time San Clemente (3-0) was that productive was on Nov. 19, 2004, in a 52-7 victory over Saugus.

Junior Nick Pasquale, who missed the previous week's game because of a sprained ankle, ran for a 54-yard touchdown on the first play from scrimmage. On the Tritons' next possession, he caught a pass from junior quarterback Travis Wilson for a 74-yard score. Pasquale finished with a game-high 130 yards rushing and 74 yards in receptions.

Wilson threw for 166 yards, including a 65-yard scoring pass to senior Alex Alvarez, and ran one yard for a score.

Junior Mike Elespuri had an eight-yard scoring run, junior Christian Tober returned an interception 23 yards for a touchdown, and senior Terrell Johnson carried two yards for a score.

Sophomore Sean Donnelly came on in relief of Wilson and topped off San Clemente's scoring with a 34-yard pass play to Alvarez.

ZERO WEEK

San Clemente 25, Villa Park 0—Junior quarterback Travis Wilson proved to be a double-threat and the Tritons' defense, led by junior linebacker Chad Foster, looked extra stout during the nonleague victory at San Clemente High.

Wilson completed 16 of 24 passes for 146 yards with three touchdowns and only one interception. The gifted junior also rushed for a game-high 85 yards

Two second-quarter touchdown passes of six and 10 yards to junior Jacob Graff gave the Tritons (2-0) a 12-0 halftime lead.

Wilson found senior Terrell Johnson on a 31-yard scoring play in the third quarter, and the Tritons' final score came on junior Mike Elespuru's six-yard run on fourth down inside Villa Park's 10.

PRE-ZERO WEEK

San Clemente 42, Baldwin of Wailuku 20—Maui Wowie!

On their second trip to the Hawaiian island in four years, the Tritons, ranked No. 10 in the O.C. Sportswriters' preseason poll, came away with their second victory over Hawaii's 10th-ranked team.

San Clemente had beaten the Bears, 37-13, in 2007.

Travis Wilson, a 6-foot-6, 210-pound junior who has already been tabbed as one of the county's very best, came out strong, completing 14 of 20 passes for 241 yards, including a 45-yard pass play to senior Terrell Johnson for a touchdown.

Johnson also scored on runs of six and three yards, and junior Mike Elespuru scored on runs of 16 and one. San Clemente's leading rushers was junior Nick Pasquale (21 yards) and senior Spencer Montoya (18).

The bulk of the Tritons' offense centered on its passing game: Wilson completed seven passes to senior Jordan Micalef for 131 yards.

Wilson, making only the second start of his high school career, played only the first 2 1/2 quarters. The Tritons scored twice in each of the first three quarters before giving up the game's final 14 points.

Coach Eric Patton started Wilson in San Clemente's opener last year. But then the Tritons went to senior Chase Rettig, who transferred to the school on his way to Boston College.

"Chase taught me a lot about how to throw the ball and how to read defenses," Wilson told the O.C. Register.

Wilson was a first-team All-South Coast League selection as a freshman.