Torrey Pines 30, Oceanside 0
The Torrey Pines Falcons proved to be dominant on their homecoming night, shutting out the Oceanside Pirates 30-0. The Avocado League victory lifts the Falcons to 5-2 on the season and 2-1 in league play. The Pirates drop to 2-5 on the year and 0-4 in league.
Torrey Pines scored touchdowns on their opening three possessions and never looked back. Junior running back Mac Bingham opened the scoring with a 1-yard touchdown, after Sully Obrien set up the score with a 20-yard run. Junior quarterback Jason Heine capped off the Falcons’ second drive with a 6-yard quarterback keeper in the second quarter. In the third, Bingham scored his second TD on the night when he ran the ball forty-four yards up the middle. Torrey Pines tacked three more points on the board when senior Justin Kaplan kicked a 25-yard field goal to make the score 30-0 Falcons.
Despite their size advantage on the offensive line, the Pirates struggled to put points on the board. Pirates quarterback Kyrin Beachem was unable to connect with his receivers as they were tightly covered. This is the first shutout of the season for the Torrey Pines defense.
Torrey Pines will look to keep their Avocado League momentum rolling when they travel to Carlsbad next Friday. Oceanside will look to rebound next week in a home, non-conference matchup against San Pasqual. The Avocado League appears to be the most competitive in the San Diego section with five teams ranked in the top ten. Mission Hills, the number one ranked team in San Diego, leads the league with a 3-0 conference record. Torrey Pines, La Costa Canyon, and San Marcos are all right behind with one conference loss each. For all the best highlights and recaps of these games and more throughout the county, tune in to PPR on KUSI every Friday night at 10:30pm.
PREVIEW: Week 8 of the Prep Pigskin Report takes us to Torrey Pines High School, where the Falcons will kick off Homecoming by hosting the Oceanside Pirates. It should be an exciting Avocado League matchup, since both teams have talented squads that will be hungry for a conference win. Kickoff is set for 7pm this Friday.
The Falcons, anchored by head coach Ron Gladnick, are coming off a big upset win against San Marcos, who was one of the top five teams in the county before the defeat. Torrey Pines has had a strong start to their season with an overall record of 4-2 and a league record of 1-1. Their two losses were at the hands of Punahou, the No. 2 ranked team in Hawaii, and El Camino, ranked No. 11 in the San Diego section. In reference to the latter defeat, Coach Gladnick said, “I think that loss was a big wake up call for our kids. Since then we’ve been on a roll. We’ve only given up 28 points total in the next two games. And we’ve scored 79. So I hope we continue to play the tough, hard-nosed and high-intensity football that our program has become known for.”
The Pirates, led by head coach David Rodriguez, are 2-4 overall this season and 0-3 in league, but cannot be taken lightly. They’re a talented team that has played a handful of tough opponents. Their losses have been to three ranked teams in the county — Mission Hills (No. 1), Carlsbad (No. 8), San Marcos (No. 9) — and one team ranked in the state, San Clemente (No. 13 in CA). According to MaxPreps, Oceanside has a 40.0 strength of schedule compared to Torrey Pines’ 28.6, which is also relatively high. That’s why playing in the Avocado League, arguably the toughest league in San Diego county, is both a challenge and an opportunity. As Coach Gladnick explained, “Every game in the Avocado League is a hard game, so we approach it as anybody can beat anybody on any given Friday night. You have to be prepared.” There’s no doubt both teams have been putting in the work.
For standout players on the Oceanside squad, look no further than the offensive line. The Pirates have several big, strong lineman, who are the heart and soul of the offense, including senior Donovan Laie, who at 6’6” and 315 lbs is one of the top recruits in the county, senior Moses Tauiliili (6’0” and 305 lbs), and senior Isaia Kaleopa-Tuise’e (6’2”, 250 lbs).
On the TP squad, look for junior running back Mac Bingham and senior RB/WR Sully Obrien to make big plays in pressure situations. Bingham has 586 rushing yards for 94 carries and 11 TD’s, while Obrien has 466 rushing yards for 70 carries and 6 TD’s (plus 115 receiving yards for two more TD’s). Keep your eye out for junior quarterback Jason Heine to anchor TP’s Wing-T offense. Heine leads the team in total yards with 507 passing yards and 334 rushing yards for 2 TD’s.
The last time these teams played each other on October 14, 2016, the Falcons were victorious in a very tight game, winning 32-28. Looking ahead to Friday, Heine said he expects a good game. “It will be a big deal because it’s at home and we haven’t had a home game in a while. We have to show up for our crowd, there’s going to be a lot of people for Homecoming. And with our big win last week, there’s been a lot of energy in practice and we’re excited to play.”
The Falcons QB said he expects a challenge against the Pirates. “Every week we face a team we could play in the playoffs, so we have to prepare very well and we also have to know the competition we’re up against,” said Heine. “We can’t take any teams lightly. Especially this Oceanside team.”
Kickoff is set for 7pm. Make sure to tune in to the Prep Pigskin Report this Friday at 10:30pm on KUSI for recaps and highlights, and follow @RedJacketArmy on Instagram and Twitter for game-day coverage.
