Polamalu’s five TDs too much for Pats

By Ramon Scott
Updated: October 26, 2026

Christian High sophomore Taj Carillo carries on Friday night against Saints.

2026 EAST COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL

Patriots’ answers fall short against Saints

No. 25 ST. AUGUSTINE 42, No. 30 CHRISTIAN 20

EastCountySports.com

EL CAJON — Taj Carrillo gave Christian an early breakaway touchdown. Julian Morones helped bring the Patriots within eight before halftime. Together, the sophomores rushed for more than 200 yards, providing enough offense to keep Christian involved well into the third quarter.

But the Patriots could not keep Paisios “Pai” Polamalu from turning openings into touchdowns, and a sequence of three empty possessions eventually ended their comeback bid.

Polamalu rushed 23 times for 264 yards and five touchdowns, leading St. Augustine to a 42-20 Eastern League victory Friday, Oct. 23, at Priest Field at El Cajon Valley High School.

Christian fell to 5-4 overall and 0-4 in league, its fourth consecutive defeat after a 5-0 start. St. Augustine improved to 5-4 and 4-0, maintaining its championship pursuit heading into its finale against San Diego.

The Patriots finished with 280 total yards, including 218 rushing, and trailed just 21-13 when they approached the Saints’ red zone midway through the third quarter.

A fourth-down stop changed the direction of the game. Two interceptions by Mateo Iuli helped St. Augustine finish it.

Carrillo supplies an early spark

Polamalu put the Saints ahead with 10:11 remaining in the first quarter, finishing an opening scoring march aided by 20 yards in Christian penalties for a facemask and offsides.

Christian answered with the kind of explosive play it needed.

Against a five-man Saints pressure, Carrillo broke free for a long touchdown run, finding room to escape and taking it the distance. The unsuccessful extra point left the Patriots behind 7-6.

Carrillo finished with 102 yards on eight carries, averaging 12.8 yards per attempt, and scored both on the ground and through the air.

His production gave Christian a second 100-yard rusher alongside Morones and another way to threaten a defense accustomed to focusing on the Patriots’ leading back.

St. Augustine, however, had its own breakaway threat operating at full speed.

Polamalu scored twice more to push the Saints ahead 21-6. His early scoring burst included a 67-yard touchdown run, breaking through the interior before racing down the left side.

Christian responded before halftime with Morones throwing to Carrillo for a touchdown with 2:44 remaining in the second quarter. The scoring connection was credited at 8 yards in the final statistics.

The extra point pulled the Patriots within 21-13, giving them a chance to regroup with the game still within one possession.

Fourth-down stop opens gap

Christian’s opportunity remained intact into the third quarter.

The Patriots reached the Saints’ 35-yard line but were stopped on fourth-and-2 with 5:01 remaining.

Polamalu followed with a 46-yard touchdown run, finding a large opening off the right side and accelerating into the end zone for his fourth score.

The Saints’ advantage grew to 28-13, and Christian’s next two possessions ended with Iuli interceptions.

Polamalu added a 12-yard touchdown run for his fifth score, extending the margin to 35-13.

Iuli’s second interception set up Ephraim Polamalu, Pai’s younger brother, for the Saints’ final touchdown. Ephraim’s scoring run was credited at 43 yards in the final statistics and gave St. Augustine a 42-13 lead with 9:26 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Morones later scored on a 4-yard run, and Christian added the extra point for the final margin.

The Patriots had produced three touchdowns against a Saints team protecting an unbeaten league record. But the fourth-down stop and consecutive interceptions prevented Christian from matching St. Augustine during the decisive stretch.

Two sophomores top 100 yards

Morones finished with 114 yards and a touchdown on 25 carries, joining Carrillo above the 100-yard mark.

He also completed all three of his passes for 59 yards and a touchdown, giving Christian productive passing opportunities to complement its ground game.

Sophomore quarterback Joel Hardy IV completed 3 of 11 passes for 3 yards, with two interceptions.

Christian finished 6 of 14 passing for 62 yards. Sophomore Gavin Runkle caught two passes for 31 yards, while senior Sean Lucey supplied a 22-yard reception. Carrillo’s lone catch went for the touchdown.

The Patriots averaged 6.1 yards on 36 rushing attempts, with Morones and Carrillo accounting for 216 of their 218 rushing yards.

That production was a step forward from the previous week’s 15-9 loss to La Jolla, but Christian could not consistently pair its offensive gains with defensive stops.

Polamalu continues his surge

Polamalu’s performance followed a 287-yard, five-touchdown effort against Scripps Ranch.

The Stanford commit has now scored five rushing touchdowns in three consecutive league games and 17 over his last four contests.

Against Christian, he averaged 11.5 yards per carry and added 47 return yards, finishing with 311 all-purpose yards. He also recorded six tackles.

The son of former Pittsburgh Steelers star Troy Polamalu accounted for the Saints’ first five touchdowns. Ephraim added 54 rushing yards on two carries, a touchdown and six tackles.

St. Augustine finished with 372 rushing yards on 30 attempts, averaging 12.4 yards per carry, and 415 total yards.

Junior quarterback Julian Chanfreau completed 3 of 7 passes for 43 yards. Iuli caught two passes for 45 yards, added a 32-yard run and returned his two interceptions for a combined 25 yards.

Iuli was also credited with a blocked kick, contributing in all three phases as the Saints won for the fifth time in six games following an 0-3 start.

Christian: One more chance to reset

CHRISTIAN (5-4, 0-4) at SCRIPPS RANCH (1-8, 1-3)
Friday, Oct. 30, 7 p.m. — Scripps Ranch High School
Eastern League

Christian’s final regular-season assignment offers a chance to secure a winning record, earn its first league victory and enter the postseason with a result to build on.

The Patriots visit a Scripps Ranch team whose record comes with a relevant warning: the Falcons defeated University City, one of the four league opponents to beat Christian.

The Patriots cannot assume the matchup will be easier simply because Scripps Ranch enters with one victory.

Christian’s most encouraging development against St. Augustine was the production of its two sophomore runners. Morones and Carrillo each surpassed 100 yards, and Morones completed all three of his passes.

That combination gives the Patriots options. Carrillo’s ability to produce a long run and catch a scoring pass can help Christian create opportunities beyond its usual reliance on Morones.

The next step is sustaining possessions and finishing them without the turnovers that helped St. Augustine pull away.

Christian enters the finale averaging 331.8 total yards, including 215.7 rushing, and 29 points per game. Scripps Ranch averages 304.4 total yards, with a more even distribution between rushing (155.9) and passing (148.5).

Falcons quarterback Nolan Cooper averages 139.4 passing yards and 165.1 total yards per game. Jordan Zeller leads their receiving production at 58.1 yards per game, while Ian Campbell averages 69.8 rushing yards.

For Christian’s defense, the assignment is recovering from a night in which long runs repeatedly erased opportunities to stay close. Limiting those gains would give an offense coming off a two-back, 100-yard performance a better chance to control the game.

The Patriots have already demonstrated how much a postseason can change a season’s story. Last year’s team entered the playoffs 3-7, then won five consecutive postseason games to reach a state championship game.

This group has one more regular-season opportunity to regain momentum first.