After Santa Clarita Christian took an early one-possession lead following the opening quarter, the Cardinals ran away with the game the rest of the way to win, 47-32, over the Laguna Blanca Owls of Santa Barbara on Saturday.
For the Cardinals (3-4, 0-2) and head coach Austin Fry, Saturday’s win over Laguna Blanca (4-1) was much needed the team dropped a Heritage League contest last week to Faith Baptist.
“Laguna is a good team. They run a really good offensive system, and I knew defensively. They do different things based on the teams they saw,” Fry said afterward. “I’m just proud of our guys for showing some grit that I’ve seen in flashes, but to see it for four quarters.”
With the win, the Cardinals remained below .500 for the season but improved to 3-4 in the season.
The win marked a victory over a higher-ranked opponent. Going into Saturday’s matchup, the then-undefeated Owls were ranked as the No. 22 eight-man team in the state, according to MaxPreps.
Offensively, junior quarterback Stone Funk had himself a night as he scrambled for two rushing touchdowns. And on defense, he snagged an interception off a tipped pass.
Also joining Funk in the backfield contributing to the stat sheet was junior running back Issac Lee.
Lee scored five rushing touchdowns en route to Saturday’s win.
Fry spoke on Funk’s and Lee’s performance and believes both juniors have progressed throughout the season but credited their success to the team’s offensive line.
“I love them. They’re the one-two punch that I was looking forward to all season,” Fry said. “But really, the offensive line is what opened it up for them.”
As for the defense, the Cardinals played bend-but-don’t-break defense in the fourth quarter as Laguna Blanca scored 20 points in the fourth quarter on three different scoring possessions.
The Owls attempted multiple 2-point conversions in the fourth quarter, but the Cardinals stopped Laguna Blanca’s offense twice, a feat that impressed Fry to see.
“I can adjust the scheme all I want, but the guys have to do it, and their response was really good,” Fry said. “In the right moments, they made the right stops, and in those key moments are what I really am proud of.”
The Cardinals have equaled last season’s win count with two games remaining on the schedule.
The Cardinals will look to build upon their momentum on Saturday at Hart High School and play host to Desert Christian at 7 p.m.
As for Fry, he is looking forward to the return to Heritage League play and utilizing the growth of the team in what will be must-win games for the Cardinals as they eye a playoff bid.
“Physically, this team [Laguna Blanca] was our last big test before the playoffs,” Fry said. “My goal is to not take the foot off the gas in intensity, especially because the two next games are big events for us. Homecoming and senior night. So, we don’t want to take our foot off the gas … we want to put it down more so that it launches us in the playoffs in the right direction.”
