Miller, Thornton, defense equals 49-0

By Ramon Scott
Updated: August 29, 2026

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

SANTANA 49, CRAWFORD 0

Sultans pass for 361 yards, force two turnovers and blank Crawford to improve to 2-0

By Ramon Scott

East County Sports

SANTEE — Santana expected its rematch with Crawford to be considerably different than last season’s narrow escape.

Even the Sultans probably did not expect this.

Senior quarterback Ethan Miller completed 26 of 31 passes for 358 yards and four touchdowns, Kolten “Koko” Thornton caught three scoring passes and Santana overwhelmed Crawford 49-0 Friday night in its home opener.

Santana led 35-0 at halftime, accumulated 465 yards and received touchdowns from five players while improving to 2-0.

The Sultans have scored 86 points through two games after averaging only 14 points last season. Their defense has allowed 12 points and recorded its first shutout of the season.

Thornton caught eight passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns and accumulated 156 all-purpose yards. His 60-yard touchdown on a screen pass highlighted Santana’s early eruption.

The short throw was caught near the line of scrimmage and resembled a running play after Thornton accelerated through the defense, but the official statistics correctly recorded it as a reception.

Thornton also caught touchdown passes of 6 and 15 yards from Miller.

Junior Joaquin Murrieta supplied another explosive play with a 46-yard touchdown reception. It was his only catch of the game, but it helped Miller complete his four-touchdown performance without throwing an interception.

Miller finished with a 159.7 quarterback rating and completed 83.9 percent of his passes. He added 21 rushing yards on three carries, giving him 379 yards of total offense.

Senior Josh Pehl contributed in three different offensive roles. Pehl rushed twice for 26 yards and a touchdown, caught an 8-yard pass and completed both of his attempts after replacing Miller at quarterback.

Pehl’s 3-yard touchdown pass to sophomore Connor Galarneau completed Santana’s five-touchdown passing performance.

Junior Julian Mayers scored Santana’s other rushing touchdown. Mayers gained 31 yards on six carries and caught three passes for 26 yards, finishing with 57 yards from scrimmage.

The scoring ledger demonstrated how thoroughly Santana controlled the game.

Thornton accounted for three touchdowns, but Mayers, Pehl, Murrieta and Galarneau also reached the end zone. Senior Brenden Varner converted all seven extra-point attempts and added a 25-yard reception.

Santana completed 28 of 33 passes for 361 yards and five touchdowns between Miller and Pehl. Neither quarterback threw an interception.

The Sultans also demonstrated considerably more receiving depth than Crawford could handle.

Senior Denton Goar caught six passes for 81 yards, including a 28-yard reception. Galarneau finished with four catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, while Mayers made three receptions for 26 yards.

Senior Ethan Smith caught three passes for 14 yards. Thornton, Goar, Galarneau, Mayers, Smith, Murrieta, Varner, Pehl and sophomore Carson Glider all recorded at least one reception.

Glider also carried six times as Santana began using its reserves with the outcome secure.

The offensive distribution supported the confidence expressed by Santana’s returning players during the preseason. The Sultans believed Miller’s experience and their collection of veteran receivers would allow them to spread the field and attack defenses in more ways.

Through two games, that belief has been justified.

Miller accounted for four touchdowns in Santana’s 37-12 victory over Morse in the opener. He followed that performance with four touchdown passes and only five incompletions against Crawford.

Santana’s defense was just as decisive.

Crawford entered the game after producing 253 passing yards and scoring 15 fourth-quarter points in a 31-23 loss to Monte Vista. Senior quarterback Giovanni “Gio” Garcia and receiver Damian Monroy had demonstrated that the Colts could become dangerous even after falling substantially behind.

Santana never allowed that comeback opportunity to develop.

Senior Brayton Knight led the Sultans with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and Santana’s only sack.

Junior Tatum Morehouse contributed four tackles and one tackle for loss. Junior Dominic Johnson added four tackles, while senior Dillon Timanus finished with three.

Johnson and junior Jack Lord each recovered a fumble as Santana created two turnovers and kept Crawford off the scoreboard.

The shutout continued an impressive opening stretch for the Sultans’ defense. Santana limited Morse to 154 total yards in the opener, with the Tigers producing their only points on two long touchdown runs.

Crawford did not produce even those isolated breakthroughs.

The Colts fell behind Monte Vista 31-8 in their first game before rallying during the fourth quarter. Against Santana, another slow start became a complete collapse.

Santana led 35-0 by halftime and added two touchdowns after the break. The Sultans did not allow Crawford’s experienced passing combination to generate the plays necessary to make the game competitive.

The result represented a remarkable change from last season’s meeting.

Santana defeated Crawford only 14-7 in 2025. Miller said before the season that in their game last season, the Sultans had not played to their ability in that victory and predicted the second meeting would be “a completely different game.”

It was different by 42 points.

Santana has now produced consecutive convincing victories at locations connected to frustrating moments from last season. The Sultans opened by returning to Morse, where their 2025 season ended with a 38-0 playoff loss, and reversed that result with a 37-12 victory.

They then transformed last year’s one-touchdown struggle against Crawford into the program’s most complete performance of the young season.

The Sultans will host Brawley on Friday before an open week. Grossmont Valley League play begins Oct. 2 against El Capitan.

Santana still has plenty to prove before the league race begins, but its first two performances have established that this is not the same offense that struggled to score last season.

The Sultans are averaging 43 points per game, completing nearly 70 percent of their passes and have outscored two opponents 86-12.

Friday’s 49-point performance and shutout showed how dangerous they can become when the defense also refuses to yield anything.

Santana statistical leaders

Ethan Miller: 26-of-31 passing, 358 yards, four touchdowns; three carries, 21 yards
Josh Pehl: 2-of-2 passing, 3 yards, one touchdown; two carries, 26 yards, one touchdown; one reception, 8 yards
Kolten “Koko” Thornton: Eight receptions, 124 yards, three touchdowns; three carries, 24 yards; 156 all-purpose yards
Denton Goar: Six receptions, 81 yards; 17-yard punt return
Connor Galarneau: Four receptions, 35 yards, one touchdown
Julian Mayers: Six carries, 31 yards, one touchdown; three receptions, 26 yards
Joaquin Murrieta: One reception, 46 yards, one touchdown
Brenden Varner: One reception, 25 yards; 7-for-7 on extra points
Brayton Knight: Eight tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack
Tatum Morehouse: Four tackles, one tackle for loss
Dominic Johnson: Four tackles, one fumble recovery
Jack Lord: One fumble recovery
Team: 465 total yards, five passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns and two defensive takeaways

Thornton turns versatility into three touchdowns

Kolten “Koko” Thornton did not need a rushing touchdown to dominate Crawford.

Santana used Thornton throughout the formation, but his greatest damage came as a receiver. He caught eight passes for 124 yards and three touchdowns, including a 60-yard catch-and-run on a screen.

Thornton also gained 24 yards on three carries and returned a punt 8 yards, giving him 156 all-purpose yards.

His touchdown receptions covered 6, 15 and 60 yards. The three plays showed different parts of his value: effectiveness near the goal line, the ability to find space in the intermediate area and the speed to turn a short screen into an explosive score.

Thornton led Santana with 42 receptions last season and entered 2026 as one of the Sultans’ most established players. Through the opening two weeks, he has become the central matchup problem within a much more productive offense.

Miller’s efficiency separates rout from opener

Santana scored 37 points against Morse, but Ethan Miller had to work considerably harder for his production.

Against Crawford, the senior quarterback operated with extraordinary efficiency.

Miller completed 83.9 percent of his attempts, averaged 13.8 yards per completion and threw four touchdown passes without an interception. Only five of his 31 attempts fell incomplete.

His touchdown throws went to Thornton three times and Murrieta once, but Santana’s receiving totals showed that Miller was not simply forcing the ball toward his leading scorer.

Goar caught six passes, Galarneau caught four, and Mayers and Smith collected three apiece. Nine Sultans recorded receptions between Miller and Pehl.

The depth should become increasingly valuable when opponents begin constructing their coverages specifically to contain Thornton.

Knight leads Santana’s first shutout

Santana’s offense produced the larger numbers, but the defense turned the victory into a complete rout.

Brayton Knight recorded eight of Santana’s 28 credited tackles, including two tackles for loss and one sack.

Morehouse and Johnson added four tackles apiece. Morehouse recorded another tackle for loss, while Johnson recovered one of Crawford’s two fumbles.

Lord recovered the other.

The low tackle total is itself revealing. Crawford did not sustain enough possessions or complete enough plays to generate large defensive statistics. Santana repeatedly ended drives before the Colts could establish any rhythm.

After holding Morse to 154 total yards in the opener, the Sultans followed with their first shutout of the season.

Lookahead: Brawley visits Santana

Santana will attempt to complete a perfect three-game opening stretch when Brawley visits Santee on Friday at 7 p.m.

The contrast between the teams’ starts is substantial.

Santana is 2-0, has scored 86 points and has allowed 12. Brawley is 0-2, has scored 16 points and has surrendered 68.

The Wildcats opened with a competitive 21-16 loss to Palm Desert but were shut out 44-0 by Rancho Bernardo on Friday. Brawley has not scored since its opening game.

Santana should enter as a clear favorite, particularly after passing for 361 yards and five touchdowns against Crawford. Brawley must find a way to pressure Miller without leaving Thornton, Goar and the Sultans’ other receivers isolated downfield.

The Wildcats’ defensive front includes Ryan Rebollar, who has recorded 2½ sacks through two games, while linebacker Diego Sandoval averages seven tackles.

Brawley’s greatest concern will be an offense that has been shut out for six consecutive quarters. The Wildcats must sustain possessions and prevent Santana from repeatedly beginning drives with favorable field position.

Santana must guard against treating the matchup as a continuation of Friday’s rout. Brawley’s 21-16 opener against Palm Desert showed that the Wildcats can remain competitive, and their program traditionally brings a physical style from the Imperial Valley.

Still, the early evidence points strongly toward Santana.

The Sultans possess the more productive quarterback, the deeper receiving corps and the defense playing with greater confidence. Another complete performance would send Santana into its open week at 3-0 and with considerably greater expectations than it carried into the season.