Sexton shines, but Patriots’ playoff prep goes awry

By Ramon Scott
Updated: November 7, 2015

Nick Sexton comes down with a long reception for a touchdown at Valley Stadium Friday night. / EastCountySports.com photo

By Ramon Scott
© East County Sports.com
EL CAJON (11-7-15) — NICK SEXTON set more Christian High receiving records, but the Patriots stumbled out of the gate in the second half in a 52-36 regular-season ending loss to visting Scripps Ranch in a nonleague matchup at Valley Stadium Friday night (Nov. 6).

Sexton, who broke the Patriots’ career receiving yard record last week, breaking the mark held by TREY MILLER (2440 in 1993-96), set the single season receiving yard mark this week held by DURET GRAY (1215 in 1993) with 1265 yards of his own. Sexton caught seven passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns on the night against the Falcons.

JOEY MARONES scored on a 1-yard touchdown dive in the first quarter to even the game at 7-7, then ADRIAN PETTY scored on a 5-yard touchdown run to give Christian a 14-7 lead.

Petty finished with 148 yards on 22 carries for the Patriots (7-3), he also caught two passes for 81 yards and a score.

EastCountySports.com photo

After the Falcons rallied to take a 21-14 lead, the Patriots tied the game on a 35-yard floater from quarterback DAVID TODD JEREMIAH to a wide-open Sexton toward the left side of the numbers, as he just waited on the aerial and trotted into the end zone.

Jeremiah finished with 11 completions in 25 attempts for 253 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Sexton is tackled by Scripps Ranch Friday night. / EastCountySports.com photo

Scripps Ranch scored the next three touchdowns to take a 42-21 lead late into the third quarter.

The Falcons took the lead as Zach Podraza threw a 28-yard TD pass to Cameron Breckenridge to make it 28-21 at halftime. Eric Brown had a 3-yard TD run for the Falcons in the first half.

Christian mounted a drive that stalled at the 7 on an incompete pass on fourth down.

However, in the fourth quarter, the Patriots made some noise when Petty broke off one of his patented long-distance TDs, as he took a short dump screen to the left, before darting to the outside and down the left sideline for a 65-yard score with 8:16 left in the game.

Christian quickly went for an onside kick and recovered, then put together another scoring drive capped by a 36-yard score from Jeremiah to Sexton. Sexton, a 6-0 senior, out-jumped his defender then used the simultaneous landing to juke the defender in order to skirt by for the end zone. The drive was extended by a fourth-down pound into the line by Marones for a first down.

The subsequent two-point conversion brought Christian to within six points with 6:22 left, but the Falcons tacked on a field goal aided by a pass interference penalty which put them in range, then on the next drive, Scripps Ranch (4-6) had an interception on a deflected option pass by Peter Staab with just over two minutes left in the game, which he ran into the end zone for a score.

Christian’s Nate Cazares (51) and Austin Manion (53) try to bring down the Falcons’ fullback during the second half Friday night.

“I thought we played hard and we were right there in the final minute,” said Christian offensive coordinator DAVID BEEZER. “But Scripps Ranch is big upfront. They had a distinct advantage in the trenches, and that paid off in their favor.”