Varner’s walk-off kick lifts Sultans

By Ramon Scott
Updated: September 12, 2026

Santana tries to bring down Chula Vista on Friday night.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

SANTANA 37, CHULA VISTA 35

Sultans overcome 14-point first-quarter hole, 236-yard rushing night by Richardson to edge Spartans

By Ramon Scott | East County Sports

CHULA VISTA — For three weeks, Santana had made winning look relatively easy.

Friday night, the Sultans showed they could win the hard way, too.

Senior Brenden Varner drilled a 23-yard field goal on the final play as Santana completed a wild comeback to defeat Chula Vista, 37-35, remaining unbeaten at 4-0.

It was an entirely different challenge from anything the Sultans had seen during their dominant opening three weeks.

Santana entered having outscored its opponents 121-12 and had posted consecutive shutouts. Chula Vista needed only one quarter to eclipse that defensive total, jumping to a 14-0 lead after the opening period.

The Spartans extended the advantage to 21-12 at halftime, putting Santana in by far its largest deficit of the season.

But senior quarterback Ethan Miller and the Sultans’ passing game kept firing.

Miller completed 30 of 42 passes for 357 yards and four touchdowns, overcoming one interception while directing a Santana offense that finished with 480 total yards.

The Sultans scored twice during the third quarter to pull themselves back into the game, but Chula Vista refused to disappear. The Spartans added touchdowns in both the third and fourth quarters and still held the advantage entering the decisive stages.

Santana finally produced 11 fourth-quarter points, with the last three belonging to Varner.

After spending most of the evening throwing the football, the Sultans maneuvered themselves into field-goal range on their final possession. Varner, who had also caught three passes for 48 yards, came on for what amounted to the biggest kick of Santana’s season.

From 23 yards, he delivered.

Game over.

Perfect season preserved.

MILLER SPREADS IT AROUND

Santana’s passing numbers were impressive not simply because of Miller’s 357 yards, but because Chula Vista had difficulty identifying one receiver it could afford to concentrate on.

Senior Denton Goar produced his biggest game of the season, catching 10 passes for 105 yards and two touchdowns.

Senior Kolten “Koko” Thornton remained Miller’s most productive touchdown target, finishing with 12 receptions for 99 yards and two scores.

Senior Ethan Smith added four receptions for 99 yards, including a 48-yard gain, while Varner’s three catches accounted for another 48 yards.

Miller’s four touchdown passes accounted for four of Santana’s five touchdowns.

Junior Julian Mayers supplied the other one while doing the heavy work on the ground. Mayers carried 24 times for 130 yards and a touchdown, helping Santana finish with 123 net rushing yards despite Miller losing nine yards on his lone official rushing attempt.

Santana finished with 30 completions, 357 passing yards and 480 yards of total offense.

RICHARDSON NEARLY WINS IT FOR SPARTANS

Santana’s defense had controlled its first three opponents.

Chula Vista sophomore Asher Richardson changed that dramatically.

Richardson rushed 33 times for 236 yards and four touchdowns, accounting for almost everything the Spartans needed offensively.

Senior Elijah Richardson added 66 yards on nine carries, while junior Jaidyn Davies scored Chula Vista’s other touchdown on his only rushing attempt.

The Spartans finished with 307 rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

Perhaps the most unusual statistic of the game: Chula Vista essentially abandoned the passing game. Quarterback Isaiah Orta was 0-for-4 with an interception, meaning all 307 of the Spartans’ recorded offensive yards came on the ground.

Thornton supplied Santana’s interception.

The Spartans scored 14 points in the first quarter and seven in each of the final three periods.

Santana’s defense, which had allowed only 12 points through three games, surrendered 35 in one night — yet made just enough plays to give its offense and special teams a chance to win it.

DEFENSIVE LEADERS

Junior Tatum Morehouse led Santana with 15 tackles, including two tackles for loss and a sack.

Senior Brayton Knight finished with 10 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack, while junior Cameron Cipro contributed nine tackles.

Senior Dillon Timanus added eight tackles.

The Sultans recorded 62 total tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks and one interception.

A DIFFERENT KIND OF 4-0

Santana’s first three victories came by scores of 37-12, 49-0 and 35-0.

Friday was nothing like those.

The Sultans trailed by two touchdowns after one quarter. They gave up more rushing yards than they had become accustomed to allowing in entire games. They faced a Chula Vista team whose 0-4 record remains deceptive, considering the Spartans have now battled West Hills, El Capitan, Patrick Henry and Santana during a demanding stretch against East County opposition.

And Santana still escaped.

The Sultans have now scored 158 points in four games, an average of 39.5 per game, while improving to 2-0 away from home.

This time there was no running clock, no shutout and no comfortable fourth quarter.

There was simply one final kick.

And Varner made it.

SULTANS BY THE NUMBERS

Santana 37, Chula Vista 35

Santana

Ethan Miller — 30-42, 357 yards, 4 TD, 1 INT
Julian Mayers — 24 carries, 130 yards, TD
Denton Goar — 10 catches, 105 yards, 2 TD
Kolten Thornton — 12 catches, 99 yards, 2 TD, interception
Ethan Smith — 4 catches, 99 yards
Brenden Varner — 3 catches, 48 yards; 23-yard game-winning FG
Tatum Morehouse — 15 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
Brayton Knight — 10 tackles, 2 TFL, sack
Cameron Cipro — 9 tackles

Chula Vista

Asher Richardson — 33 carries, 236 yards, 4 TD
Elijah Richardson — 9 carries, 66 yards
Jaidyn Davies — 5-yard TD run
Team — 43 carries, 307 yards, 5 TD

By quarters:
Santana —      0-12-14-11 — 37
Chula Vista — 14- 7- 7- 7 — 35

LOOKING AHEAD: SULTANS GET A WEEK TO RECOVER

Santana couldn’t have selected a much better time for its bye. Santana is 4-0 for the first time since 2021.

After four consecutive victories — and easily its most physically and emotionally demanding game of the season — the Sultans are off next week before returning home to face Fallbrook on Friday, Sept. 25 at 7 p.m.

Fallbrook enters the break at 3-1, setting up another meaningful nonleague test. The Warriors do have a game this week at home against a retooling Mt. Carmel club.

The matchup offers a sharp contrast in styles. Santana is averaging 313.5 passing yards and 39.5 points per game, while Fallbrook has leaned much more heavily on its running game.

Warriors running back Josue Hernandez Dilan has been their leading offensive threat, while Santana will have two weeks to address the rushing-defense problems exposed by Chula Vista.

The Sultans will enter the game 4-0 for the first time this season with something they did not possess before Friday night: proof they can survive when the game becomes chaotic.

They’ll also enter it undefeated because Brenden Varner’s final kick was true.