Lightning close their season with Brethren

Patrick Laverty

It’s rare when a coach wants to carry over the momentum from a 34-0

loss, but that is exactly what Sage Hill School Coach Tom Monarch

wants from his players this week.

“We want to enter this game with the same intensity, pick up right

where we left off,” Monarch said. “That second half was the best half

we played all year.”

Monarch will lead his youthful squad, which features just five

seniors, into its final game against Brethren Christian today at 2:30

p.m. at home.

Sage Hill (1-7, 0-2 in Academy League play) will be fighting to

escape the cellar against Brethren Christian (2-5-2, 0-2). But like

most of the rest of the Lightning’s season, the task will be tough.

“We’re going to have our hands full with [Danny] Warden,” Monarch

said. “He’s just a one-man show.”

Warden, Brethren’s quarterback, accounts for 293 yards per game.

He has rushed for 954 yards and 17 touchdowns and has thrown for

1,687 yards and 15 touchdowns. Monarch said he has the option to run

or pass on almost every play.

“You put the same kid on Harbor or CdM and he becomes all-world,”

Monarch said. “He’s definitely the best athlete in the Academy

League.”

The Lightning will concentrate on shutting down the run, likely

putting nine men near the line of scrimmage and playing bump-and-run

coverage with the receivers in an attempt to throw them off their

routes.

What Monarch wants to see from his defense is a repeat of last

week’s second half, when it held Capistrano Valley Christian to seven

points.

“It was our best hitting game, no doubt.” Monarch said. “We play

like that against some of the other teams we faced earlier in the

season and we’d have three, four wins.”

What he wants from his offense are sustained drives that feature

senior tailback Eddie Huang (310 yards) and senior fullback Ray Lim

(137 yards).

Those two, along with Marcel Sohl, Peter Haderlein and Alex

Cochoran, will be playing in their last high school game.