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SAN MARCOS — San Marcos High School has been playing varsity football for 64 seasons. Not once have the Knights won an outright section football championship. In 1987, San Marcos shared the 2A title after tying San Pasqual in the championship game.
Next week, the Knights will have a chance to set some history. On a cold Friday night on its beautiful remodeled campus, pass-happy San Marcos showed it can play physical football as well, shutting down El Camino’s vaunted running game to beat the Wildcats 28-14 in a Division 1 semifinal.
The Knights’ reward: a date next Saturday night at Southwestern College to face Granite Hills for the Division 1 title. Granite Hills knocked off Carlsbad 22-16.
“It’s unbelievable,” Knights linebacker Koaia Sonognini said amidst bedlam as fans flooded the field. “We have the most wins ever in a San Marcos season. (At 11-1, the Knights eclipsed the old record of 10 wins.) The place is going crazy. We want to give our best and win a championship.”
The semifinal was billed as a classic contrast of styles. El Camino likes to run the ball and run the ball some more. In a 43-27 quarterfinal win last week against Mount Miguel, the Wildcats attempted one pass. They ran the ball 45 times for 334 yards.
San Marcos travels by air, riding the accurate right arm of quarterback Kreet Makihele, who came into the game with 40 touchdown passes against six interceptions.
Could the Knights stop the physical team from Oceanside?
San Marcos opened the game in typical fashion, Makihele hitting his favorite target, Jase Nix, with a 33-yard rainbow and a 6-0 lead.
El Camino came right back and did what it does best.
Try 73 yards on 12 plays, all on the ground, bruising back Kingston Faatiti covering the final 24 yards, banging off would-be tacklers into the end zone.
“It looked a little dreary after that first drive,” said San Marcos coach Tom Carroll. “But then the kids adjusted. After that first drive they were like, ‘OK, that’s what it’s gonna take.’”
Adjust, the San Marcos defense did. El Camino next seven offensive drives ended as follows: stopped near midfield on downs, punt, punt, punt, punt, interception, punt.
“We practiced hard all week and came out to play,” said Sonognini. “We hyped everyone up. We wanted it. We wanted it real bad.”
By the time the Wildcats were stopped for a seventh straight drive, what had been a 7-6 lead morphed into a 28-7 deficit.
Makihele and his cadre of pass catchers put four TDs on the board. (They came in averaging 42.1 points.) After the 33-yarder to Nix, Makihele spotted Nix again, this time running across the back of the end zone for a 13-7 lead, which stood up at halftime.
The Knights made it 21-7 late in the third quarter on a 3-yard run by Brady Pohl, then 28-7 on a 4-yard run by C.J. Williams. The TD drives were set up by Makihele darts. He was 4-for-5 on the two drives for 93 yards. He finished the game 11-of-21 for 202 yards and two TDs. He has now thrown 42 touchdowns on the season; he has been intercepted just six times.
Nix finished with five catches for 104 yards and the two TDs.
“The kid’s special,” Carroll said of his junior quarterback, who might be all of 5-10, despite his 6-foot listing. “He makes phenomenal decisions. He’s cool, calm in the pocket. He extends plays with his feet. He keeps his eyes downfield and finds a lot of outstanding targets.”
Maybe no one enjoyed San Marcos’ win more than a Carroll by a different name. Tom’s father, John, won 13 section titles at Oceanside High School, more championships than any other coach.
One of the first people Tom hugged after the game: his father.
Asked how it felt knowing his son would be coaching in a championship game, John said, “You can just put it that he got emotional. It makes my heart soar They’re a good team. The kids know how to play the game. They play with intensity. They play with toughness and they also play with skill.”
San Marcos 28, El Camino 14
El Camino 7 0 0 7 — 14
San Marcos 6 7 15 0 — 28
SM — Nix 33 pass from Makihele (run failed)
EC — Faatiti 24 run (Spencer kick)
SM — Nix 29 pass from Makihele (Hackett kick)
SM — Pohl 3 run (Pohl pass from Makihele)
SM — Williams 4 run (Hackett kick)
EC — Williams 4 run (Spencer kick)
Originally Published:
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