Sage win is colossal

Chris Yemma

With time expired, the Sage Hill School football team kneeled around

Coach Tom Monarch and listened to him tell them this was the biggest

win in school history.

Sage, entering the game still thirsty for its first league

victory, defeated Capistrano Valley Christian, 24-12, in an Academy

League game Friday night at San Clemente High.

Sage (7-3, 1-2 in league) also needed a win to have any shot at

qualifying for an at-large playoff berth in CIF Southern Section

Division XIII.

“This is the biggest win in this school’s history,” Monarch said

after the game. “This is our first league win and I’m proud of them.”

Coming off a 34-0 loss to the Eagles one year ago, Sage had the

last laugh Friday night, as the team racked up 296 yards on the

ground and 407 net yards. Running back Keya Manshadi accounted for

182 of those yards on just 15 rushing attempts.

Before the game, Monarch predicted Manshadi would lead the team

Friday night, but Monarch was also worried Manshadi’s stamina might

not hold up.

Manshadi, however, laid Monarch’s uneasiness to rest and came out

and scored two touchdowns for the Lightning, one on Sage’s first

possession.

After Capistrano Valley Christian (4-6, 1-2) went three-and-out on

its first possession, the Lightning got the ball back and broke the

game open. Manshadi took the handoff on a counter and dashed 90 yards

to the end zone.

And after the Eagles scored to come within five points just before

the end of the third quarter, Sage put together an 11-play, 62-yard drive capped off with 34-yard Manshadi touchdown run to give the

Lightning a 24-12 lead.

“That last touchdown we scored in the third was probably the

ballgame,” Monarch said. “After they scored, for us to come back like

that and punch it in was big.”

Running back Donald Ayres also contributed to Sage’s ground game.

Ayres rushed 20 times for 112 yards, carrying the workhorse duties

for the Lightning. He also scored a touchdown on a 3-yard run in the

second quarter to put Sage up, 14-6.

Sage will learn of its postseason fate Sunday.