By Max Clark
For The Signal
The Saugus Centurions didn’t waste any time Friday night, scoring touchdowns on their first four drives and never looking back in a 48-19 Foothill League win over the Castaic Coyotes.
Running back Ty Hall led the charge for Saugus (7-2, 3-2), pounding in three first-half touchdowns behind a dominant offensive line that had its way up front. Quarterback Jake Nuttall kept things moving through the air, while receivers Degan Grant, Landon Lattimore and Matt Long helped spread out the Coyotes (0-9, 0-5) defense.
“We came out and did what we needed to do in the first half,” Saugus head coach Jason Bornn said. “We need to clean some things up in the second half, but overall I was happy for the kids that their effort was enough to come away with a victory.”
The Centurions looked sharp from the opening kick, marching down the field on their first possession behind Hall’s physical running. After several chunk plays through the air, Hall finished the drive with a short touchdown run to make it 7-0.
Following a quick three-and-out from Castaic, Saugus struck again. Nuttall flipped a short pass to Long on a sweep to the left, and the senior wideout turned on the jets for a 38-yard touchdown that doubled the lead.
The offensive line — led by Nathan Suarez — continued to dominate the trenches. Nuttall found Andrew Nunez for 28 yards to set up Hall’s second score, a 2-yard plunge to make it 21-0 late in the first quarter.
Saugus wasn’t done yet. Early in the second, Nuttall hit Bartl on a deep jump ball that looked straight out of a Randy Moss highlight reel. Bartl’s 40-yard catch set up a short touchdown run by Mono Ortega, giving the Centurions a commanding 28-0 lead.
“[Offensive line] takes a lot of pride in dominating the line of scrimmage,” Bornn said. “Every week they know they’ll get the other team’s best effort — and that’s what they want and expect.”
Castaic was forced to turn to freshman Cody King at quarterback with starter Jack Mackler sidelined. Despite the uphill battle, King showed flashes of poise and toughness, taking repeated hits and continuing to stand tall in the pocket.
“His poise was phenomenal for a young guy,” Coyotes head coach Sirr Guy Shakir said. “They brought a lot of blitzes on him. He stood there and took it. He kept us in a situation where we had a chance, and that’s good — young guys tend to panic, but he made good choices. He’s got a bright future.”
King’s best drive of the first half came midway through the second quarter, when he connected with Nate Carr for 28 yards and Logan Siebrand-Wissinger for another 9. But the momentum fizzled after a sack from Saugus linebacker Elijah Ham, and the Coyotes turned it over on downs.
Before halftime, Saugus punched in one more score — Hall’s third of the night — to make it 35-0 at the break.
The Centurions opened the third quarter with another short-field touchdown drive, capped by Hall’s final score for a 41-0 lead. But Castaic continued to fight.
King guided the Coyotes to their first touchdown late in the third, sneaking in from a yard out after a 30-yard strike to Grayson Gonzales set up the opportunity. In the fourth quarter, Castaic put together two more impressive drives — including a 49-yard catch-and-run by Vincente Davalos and touchdown passes to Gonzales and Siebrand-Wissinger — trimming the gap to 41-19.
The Coyotes were dealing with a multitude of injuries and already suffered from a small roster.
“When you’re young and have a short roster, it’s hard,” Shakir said. “We can’t coach right after a mistake because a lot of those guys have to stay on the field for special teams, defense and offense.”
Saugus’ backups closed out the game with a late scoring drive, as Jose Gomez found the end zone from short range to cap the night, 48-19.
The win keeps Saugus in the thick of the Foothill League playoff picture, something Bornn said his team doesn’t take for granted.
“The Foothill League is highly competitive,” Bornn said. “Every week since we’ve entered league play has been like a playoff game. That’s our attitude and approach each week.”
The Centurions close out the regular season at home against Golden Valley on Halloween night, while Castaic will look to avoid a winless season when it hosts Valencia the same evening.
