SANTA ANA – Jett the kicker and Waldo the king had a great night Thursday night.
Waldo Castrejon was named Calvary Chapel homecoming king at halftime of the Eagles’ game against Estancia. He then rushed for 70 yards in the second half and had a win-clinching interception on the final play of the football game.
Jett Rauch kicked a 35-yard field goal with 18 seconds remaining to provide the winning points in Calvary Chapel’s 17-16 win on Thursday in a Sigma League game at Segerstrom High.
Calvary Chapel is 7-0 and one of Orange County’s six undefeated football teams. Calvary Chapel is 2-0 in league.
Estancia is 5-2 overall and 1-1 in league.
Calvary Chapel started its winning drive at its 36-yard line with 6:17 left in the game. Castrejon carried the ball six times on the drive, grinding out 20 yards.
The big play of the drive was a fourth-and-3 pass for 6 yards from sophomore quarterback Colin Wiles to Daniel Nives for a first down.
Rauch’s field goal cleared the cross bar with many yards to spare and was a few feet to the left of the right upright. Long-snapper Vincent Glavinic delivered the ball on target to holder Mikah Moreno whose sure-handed placement set the ball perfectly for Rauch.
Rauch was prepared for the kick as he watched the drive progress.
“We knew it would come to that,” he said.
It was Rauch’s second field goal of the season. He kicked another important field goal in Calvary Chapel’s 10-7 win over Capistrano Valley Christian.
After Rauch’s field goal Estancia had only 12 seconds and was on its own 23-yard line to start the attempt. The first play was an incomplete pass, the second the Castrejon interception.
Calvary Chapel sophomore receiver Chaz White scored touchdowns on a 6-yard run and on an 88-yard kickoff return.
Castrejon finished with 105 rushing yards on 23 carries, 18 of those carries coming in the second half.
“We wanted to come back and establish our running game,” Castrejon said, “and stop their’s. And that’s just what we did here. Coach told me he was going to give me the rock and run it up the gut and see what I can do.”
Estancia running back Jeff Brown rushed for 101 yards, which was his total at halftime. Calvary Chapel bottled Brown up in the second half, holding him to zero yards on five second-half carries.
Calvary Chapel had lost to Estancia by one point in 2023, 29-28, and in 2024 by a 15-14 score in overtime.
Estancia senior receiver/safety Brandon Bettinghausen had a big game. He had three interceptions.
Estancia got points on its first possession. Juan Silva kicked a 24-yard field goal.
White returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown and a 7-3 Calvary lead.
Brown scored on a 9-yard run to put Estancia back on top 10-7.
White scored again, this time taking a direct snap for a 6-yard touchdown run that gave Calvary Chapel a 14-10 lead with 7:13 to go in the second quarter.
It was 14-10 at halftime.
Estancia’s Bennett Molica turned a short pass reception into an 81-yard scoring play in the third quarter. The point-after kick attempt was unsuccessful, leaving Estancia with a 16-14 lead that would stand until Rauch’s field goal in the final moments.
Rauch said Thursday’s win revealed how different this year’s team is from last year’s.
“The beginning of the year,” Rauch said, “I didn’t feel like we could do this.”
Estancia plays Los Amigos, last season’s Sigma League champion, in a league game Oct. 17 at Estancia High. Calvary Chapel plays at Ocean View on Oct. 17.