Laguna Blanca freshman Joey Coleman runs up the middle for the first of his two touchdowns.
Dunn quarterback Corbin Meyer comes down with the first of his two touchdown receptions.
Five different Owls scored touchdowns in the first half of their Condor League opener on Saturday, but it was a Joey Coleman solo act in the second half that cemented a 50-20 victory over Dunn in Hope Ranch.
The freshman fullback converted two long runs for touchdowns in the final 14 minutes of the game after Dunn had cut a 34-6 halftime deficit to 34-20 with 1:24 remaining in the third quarter. They were the first touchdowns of Coleman’s high school career, helping the Owls stay unbeaten after three games, which is their best start in five years.
“It’s definitely something to smile about. I’m having fun tonight,” Coleman said after the game, seconds before getting a gatorade bucket full of ice-water dumped on him from behind.
Kevin Drew, Austin Rusack, Joey Eckart, Andrew Vignolo and Logan Elder scored successively in the first half as the Owls imposed their control. It was 26-0 before Bryce McKibbin put Dunn on the scoreboard with a rushing touchdown.
[nggallery id=56]Laguna Blanca head coach Ray Robitaille said that’s why this year’s team is finding success: the Owls have a lot of options.
“We got that wildcat open offense. Anyone of those three guys in the backfield can handle the ball and we got three kids who can throw the ball,” explained Robitaille. “When they make that adjustement, we just re-adjust and just throw some different stuff at them.”
With several Laguna starters on the bench to start the third quarter, Dunn clawed back into the game thanks to the size and athleticism of quarterback Corbin Meyer. Dunn’s coaching staff lined Meyer up as a receiver, having regular tight end Spencer Huffman take the snaps and throw jumps balls in Meyer’s direction. The play was successful on 2-of-3 attempts as the 6’2″ leaper came down with it twice, both good for touchdowns.
Laguna Blanca (3-0, 1-0) plays a night game next Saturday at Santa Clarita Christian while Dunn (1-2, 0-1) heads into a bye week.
