Photos by Pyae May
Football:
Maranatha was about as efficient as it gets on Thursday night.
Consider the following:
They scored on their first play from scrimmage, as Miles O’Malley took a toss 61 yards for a touchdown.
MHS quarterback Luke McNulty completed all seven of his passes for 254 yards and four TD’s, including a 63-yard scoring strike to Nico Vergara on the second possession of the night.
Maranatha took a 41-7 lead into the break.
And all that added up to a 48-13 victory at previously unbeaten Corona High School.
To their credit, CHS actually responded to tie the game at 7-7 in the first quarter, but the Minutemen would score the final 34 points of the half.
After McNulty and Camden Jones hooked up on a 36-yard, first-quarter TD pass, the lead was extended to 20-7.
Corona went on a 13-play drive that we stopped at the MHS 20-yard line thanks to a sack by Jayan Anvekar.
The Panthers had an eight-play drive to start the second quarter, but it was snapped when AJ Campana intercepted a Corona pass and brought it back 55 yards for a score.
CHS would then put together a 15-play drive that fizzled in the red zone.
After an 87-yard TD pass from McNulty to O’Malley was called back on a holding penalty, McNulty would find O’Malley in the flat for an 84-yard score, and this one counted.
Towards the end of the half, Jacob Neely picked off a pass, and McNulty cashed that in, hitting Vergara on a 28-yard score.
O’Malley carried the ball five times for 155 yards, and he had two receptions for 84 yards.
Vergara caught two passes (both TD’s) for 91 yards.
Carter Shupper had an incredible night at linebacker.
Shupper led all defensive players with a game-high 15 tackles.
Neely had a huge night of his own.
Neely had 14 tackles (two for-loss), one interception and a fumble recovery.
Jayan Anvekar finished with six tackles, including 1.5 sacks.
AJ Campana had the pick-six and broke up three passes.
Vergara contributed on the defensive end as well, totaling eight tackles in the win.
Jahmel Reeves had six tackles for the MHS defense.
Up next: The Minutemen will host Western Christian (3-0) next Friday at 7.
Quotable:
Maranatha coach, Rand Holdren: “We were firing on all cylinders tonight. We had a pick-six, forced fumbles, five different guys scored, our quarterback had a 100-percent completion ratio and I was told a few stories about how the older guys were helping the younger guys on the sidelines. I’m so proud of how our guys came together and we made a huge turn as a team tonight. Our guys were genuinely happy for their teammates, while everyone was out there doing their part. It was a fantastic night.”
Box Score:
M: 20-21-0-7-(48)
C: 7-0-0-6-(13)
Records: Maranatha (3-1); Corona (2-1)
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