BUENA PARK – Sunny Hills rolled into the second week of Lambda League play with an impressive 5-1 overall record. Beckman was not intimidated.
Makhi Czaykowski ran for 177 yards, caught one touchdown pass and threw another, and quarterback Noah Nam accounted for four touchdowns as the Patriots dominated Sunny Hills 35-14 to grab ahold of first place.
“I think it was clear that we were 100 percent the better team,” Czaykowski said after the Patriots improved to 4-2 overall and 2-0 in league. “We came in, we were better focused.”
He didn’t score on the ground, but he took a swing pass from Nam for a 29-yard TD with 1:25 left in the first half to extend Beckman’s lead to 14-0.
The Lancers opened the game with an apparent 57-yard touchdown pass from Mikeal Kahn to Kruz Sandle on the first play of the game, but the play was nullified by a penalty.
The Lancers recovered by giving the ball to George Shelledy, who carried seven times on the next eight plays, the last a 13-yard run to the Beckman 11.
The drive stalled at the 5 on an incomplete pass, and the Patriots turned around and drove 95 yards in 12 plays, the last Nam’s 26-yard touchdown run.
“We weren’t worried,” Czaykowsi said. “We knew that if they scored, we’d turn around and score on them.”
Nam also threw a 21-yard touchdown to Zak Hazboun, and Czaykowski delivered the crowning touch with a 65-yard scoring pass to Julian Rosa.
Czaykowski slipped out into the right flat after the snap and took Nam’s lateral, then stopped an fired a strike deep downfield for Rosa, who outran the defense to complete the score.
“We’ve been practicing that play since I was a sophomore,” said Czaykowski, a senior. “I have attempted that pass four times. It finally worked and we finally put it into the end zone.”
The Patriots rolled up 486 yards of total offense, with 300 on the ground.
Nam was nearly perfect, completing his first 10 passes. Not even getting a pass blocked by Josh Stewart of the Lancers could stop that – Stewart, rushing from the edge, blocked one of Nam’s passes but it went right back into Nam’s hands for a completion to himself for a 4-yard loss.
Nam threw for 186 yards, and also ran for 54 yards on five carries.
Backman’s defense, meanwhile, kept pressure on Kahn, who was 21-of-40 for 195 yards with one interception. Xavier Musselman-Cano picked off a pass and Zak Hazbohn recovered a fumble, both in the final nine minutes, and the Patriots recovered a fumble to start the second quarter.