Rosier, defense help Patriots feel at ease

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 13, 2026

Gavin Runkle catches a touchdown pass agaisnt Olympian on Friday.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

With starting QB out, skill player fills in admirably for second straight week

CHRISTIAN 27, OLYMPIAN 6

By Ramon Scott
EastCountySports.com

CHULA VISTA — Before Christian demonstrated how well it could move forward without its injured starting quarterback, Kaleb Runkle reminded the Patriots that he remained very much beside them.

Runkle fulfilled his captaincy duties before Friday night’s game at Olympian, joining his teammates at midfield while using crutches and wearing a walking boot. One week earlier, the senior quarterback had suffered a lower-leg injury after running only three offensive plays against Bishop’s.

Christian has remained quiet about the precise nature of the injury and a possible timetable for Runkle’s return. In the meantime, senior skill player Kai Rosier has accepted the considerable assignment of replacing him.

For the second consecutive week, Rosier and the Patriots found a way and delivered another victory

Rosier accounted for two touchdowns, Quentin Uhland delivered Christian’s first explosive play, sophomore Julian Morones produced on both sides of the ball and the Patriots’ defense dominated after halftime in a 27-6 nonleague victory Friday night.

Christian improved to 3-0 despite being forced to redesign its offense just three games into the season. Olympian fell to 1-3.

Rosier is not being asked to recreate the passing offense Christian expected to operate with Runkle. The Patriots instead have adapted around his versatility, athleticism and ability to make plays outside structure.

That approach produced immediate results against Olympian.

Christian struck on its second offensive play when Uhland came across from his slot position, took the ball from Rosier and swept toward the right side. The senior slipped an attempted ankle tackle and broke free down the sideline for a 70-yard touchdown.

The score gave Christian a 7-0 lead before Olympian’s defense had time to settle into the game.

Rosier helped create the Patriots’ second touchdown under far less favorable circumstances.

With Olympian applying heavy pressure, Rosier escaped toward the right sideline with defenders in pursuit. He continued extending the play before lofting a pass across the end zone toward sophomore Gavin Runkle near the back-left pylon.

The throw initially appeared to be a last-resort attempt to salvage the play. Once it arrived, it looked almost perfectly calculated.

Gavin Runkle tracked the ball, secured it under close coverage and somehow kept his toes inbounds for a spectacular touchdown reception. Olympian blocked the extra-point attempt, leaving Christian ahead 13-0 after the opening quarter.

It was the type of improvisational play that helps explain why head coach Patrick Bugg trusted Rosier with the offense despite his limited experience at quarterback.

Rosier finished 3-of-9 passing for 29 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed six times for 44 yards and another score.

The interception gave Olympian possession at the Christian 24-yard line during the second quarter. Eagles quarterback Walter Ignacio, wearing No. 23, immediately attempted to capitalize with a deep shot toward the end zone.

Christian’s secondary was ready. A Patriots defender remained stride for stride with the receiver and knocked the pass away before Olympian eventually returned to its ground-oriented attack.

Ignacio provided practically the entirety of the Eagles’ offense. The senior carried 22 times for 150 yards, while Olympian completed only one of four passes for three yards.

The Eagles finally broke through with 8.9 seconds remaining before halftime. Ignacio kept the ball and powered straight through traffic for a touchdown run. The extra-point attempt failed following a mishandled snap, allowing Christian to take a 13-6 lead into the locker room.

Olympian never seriously threatened again.

Rosier restored Christian’s two-touchdown advantage with 3:18 remaining in the third quarter. Keeping the ball himself, he turned the corner on the right side and accelerated into the open field for a touchdown run.

The extra point by sophomore Pierson Cunningham made it 20-6.

Christian’s defense then placed the Eagles in an increasingly hopeless position.

Ignacio attempted consecutive runs from deep in Olympian territory, but both were swallowed by a fast-arriving wall of Patriots. Christian penetrated the backfield before the plays could develop, forcing the Eagles to punt from near their own end zone.

The short kick gave Christian possession at the Olympian 32-yard line.

Morones converted the favorable field position into points, scoring on a fourth-quarter touchdown run to increase the lead to 27-6. He finished with 48 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries.

The sophomore’s most forceful work may have come on defense.

Morones repeatedly broke through Olympian’s protection and punished Ignacio in the backfield. He delivered a sack for a loss of approximately four yards to force one punt, then broke free again later for another heavy hit on the Eagles’ quarterback.

No complete defensive statistics were available, but Morones’ disruption was unmistakable.

Christian’s defense allowed only 164 total yards, and all but three came on the ground. Olympian’s other ballcarriers combined for only 11 yards as the Patriots concentrated upon containing Ignacio.

The defense also provided the game’s final punctuation.

On Olympian’s last play, Christian defensive back Soren Lucey, wearing No. 7, intercepted Ignacio in the end zone to complete the Patriots’ second consecutive dominant defensive performance.

Christian has allowed only nine points over its past two games after holding Bishop’s without a touchdown in a 17-3 victory. The Patriots have surrendered 29 points through three games overall.

That defense has given Bugg and his staff room to reconstruct the offense without demanding that Rosier immediately become a conventional varsity quarterback.

Christian produced only 121 listed yards of offense against Olympian, but the Patriots did not need sustained statistical dominance. They generated explosive scoring plays, capitalized upon favorable field position and allowed their defense to control the evening.

Uhland finished with three receptions for 83 yards and a touchdown, while Gavin Runkle added a touchdown catch. Senior Jaden Rodriguez contributed a 10-yard reception.

The offense remains a work in progress, but Christian has already learned that it can win in a manner far different from what it envisioned before the season.

Rosier can threaten the perimeter with his legs, extend broken plays and complete enough throws to prevent opponents from selling out entirely against the run. Morones provides a dependable foundation in the backfield, while Uhland gives the Patriots an experienced playmaker capable of changing the game from multiple positions.

Most importantly, Christian’s defense has shown that it can carry the team while everything else develops.

The Patriots expected Runkle to lead an explosive passing attack this fall. His appearance at midfield on crutches illustrated how dramatically those plans have changed.

Their record has not.

LOOKING AHEAD: Calexico visiting Patriots this week

Christian returns to Granite Hills High next Friday for a 7 p.m. nonleague game against Calexico. The Bulldogs enter at 2-2 following a 49-20 loss at Cibola of Yuma.

Calexico’s offense is built primarily around running back Jose Fernandez, who averages 98 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Ivan Hurtado has supplied 94.3 passing yards per game, with Leo Longino serving as the Bulldogs’ leading receiver at 39 yards per contest.

Defensively, Alexander Sanchez leads Calexico with 6.8 tackles per game, while Hector Flores Lorea has been its leading pass-rushing threat.

The Bulldogs average 249.5 yards per game but have surrendered 96 points through four contests. Christian has scored 85 points while allowing only 29 through three games, giving the Patriots another favorable matchup even if Kaleb Runkle remains unavailable.

Christian has not disclosed the precise nature of Runkle’s lower-leg injury or established a timetable for his return. Rosier’s performance in consecutive victories, however, has shown that the Patriots do not need to rush their starting quarterback back onto the field.