Parker Rusack plowed through the line for his third touchdown with 1:25 left in the game, lifting Laguna Blanca to a wild 48-46 8-man football victory at Animo Jackie Robinson Charter in Los Angeles on Friday night.
The touchdown drive was set up by a Robert Estrada interception at the Owls’ 10-yard line with 3:30 to go. The Owls were trailing 46-40.
Quarterback Stephen McCaffery led Laguna on an impressive 70-yard march for the winning score.
“It was a shootout,” Laguna Blanca coach Shane Lopes said. “We played against a passing team and they exploited our young corners.”
But Laguna Blanca has a potent offense, too, led by McCaffery and Rusack. McCaffery and Rusack combined on a touchdown pass, and Rusack rushed for two scores. Tight end Pierce O’Donnell also caught a touchdown pass.
Defensively, Estrada picked off two passes and O’Donnell recovered a fumble.
Lopes noted that the football team has 20 players on its roster this season.
“Last year we were suiting up 12, so it’s exciting to have more guys on the team,” he said.
Laguna Blanca is back on the road next Friday at Santa Maria Valley Christian Academy.
