IRVINE – It was father’s day Friday.
Rick Curtis coached his Crean Lutheran football team to a 23-6 victory over son Sean Curtis’ Capistrano Valley team in a nonleague game at Crean Lutheran.
It was the first time they had coached their teams against each other in a regular-season game. There had been a couple of preseason scrimmages, and Friday’s game was not planned. Crean Lutheran’s originally scheduled opponent this week, and Capistrano Valley’s, canceled the games, forcing the Curtis guys to fill the void by having Friday’s game.
“It was pretty cool,” said Rick Curtis after the game. “Surreal moment. How many times are you going to play against your son?”
Capistrano Valley had a 6-0 lead in the first quarter. The Saints scored two touchdowns and a field goal in the final 4:13 of the second quarter for a 17-6 halftime lead. Crean Lutheran added a touchdown in the third quarter while its defense kept the Cougars scoreless after the first quarter.
Crean Lutheran, No. 11 in the Orange County rankings, is 3-0. No. 19 Capistrano Valley is 2-1.
Crean Lutheran junior quarterback Caden Jones completed 21 of 26 passes for 149 yards. Junior running back Caleb Bey rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns.
Senior Dillon Booth scored on a 62-yard run on a fourth down play in the second quarter for the Saints’ first points.
“That was the big play of the game,” Rick Curtis said. “It got our offense on track.”
Rick Curtis said the Saints did not play their best game, but indicated that might be because of the quality of Friday’s opponent.
“It was the best team we played, the best-coached team we played,” he said.
Jones said the this was an important game for the Crean Lutheran players to win.
“I was really happy for Coach Curtis,” Jones said. “He was making us work really hard this week. I know it meant something to him.”
Capistrano Valley scored the game’s first touchdown, and the Cougars’ only points of the game, on a 21-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Talon Spencer to Izaiah Bennet. The Cougars’ pass attempt for two points was incomplete, leaving the score at 6-0.
Then came Booth’s big run, an 8-yard touchdown run by Bey and, on the final snap of the first half, a 30-yard field goal by Eric Miao for a 17-6 halftime lead.
Bey added an 11-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that completed the scoring.
Crean Lutheran’s Javari Nash made an interception in the end zone in the fourth quarter to end a Cougars scoring opportunity.
Capistrano Valley’s next game is another nonleague game Friday against Aliso Niguel at Aliso Niguel High. Crean Luteran plays a nonleague game Friday at El Modena against El Modena High.