Lightning roll to victory

For a photo gallery of the game, click here.

NEWPORT COAST — Compared to the running Sage Hill School’s Preston Oklejas was doing all night, the 100 or so yards four streakers encompassed in a matter of seconds during halftime of the Lightning’s final game was nothing.

The senior wide receiver ended the night with nine catches for 215 yards and three touchdowns, to contribute to the Lightning’s 60-37 win Friday night over Capistrano Valley Christian.

The win catapulted Sage Hill (8-2, 2-1 in the Academy League) into the CIF Southern Section Northeast Division playoffs as the league’s No. 2 representative, while undefeated St. Margaret’s (10-0, 3-0) will be the league’s No. 1 entry after defeating Brethren Christian, 56-0.

Anderson was already thinking ahead.

“In our division, the Academy League’s pretty strong,” Anderson said. “There are five leagues. If we’re one of the top two second-place teams, we’ll be able to host a game next weekend. It’s pretty important. It’s great not to have to worry about the travel, getting out of school, being on a bus, worrying about traffic. You just keep doing your thing and focus.”

Titters of laughter made their way through the bleachers as four boys ran across the football field at halftime, but Anderson was not smiling about it.

“That was terrible ...” Anderson said. “They weren’t Sage Hill students. I won’t say the name of the school, but it wasn’t ours. They were from a school in the area. We’re a small school We know everybody. Those weren’t our kids. We honestly wouldn’t — that’s expulsion if you get busted.”

Sage Hill scored 40 second-half points, after a going back and fourth for the first two quarters without a single punt. The Lightning trailed once, 7-6, and went to the locker room leading, 20-14, after Nick Witte scored on a 42-yard pass from quarterback Jamie McGee with just eight seconds left in the half.

“When it’s halftime, and you’re a senior, it starts sinking in that this could be your last half of football,” Anderson said. “I think the guys — I don’t know — they flipped the switch that they didn’t want this to be their last game and they just came out and played more intensely. The intensity level was just way better in the second half.”

After throwing for 191 yards and three touchdowns in the first half, McGee threw for another 238 yards in the final half of his last regular-season game, adding to his already record-setting career totals of 7,681 yards and 83 touchdown passes.

The Lightning defense initially struggled to stop Eagles’ running back Mike Christensen, who had 109 yards rushing on 21 carries in the first half. Sage Hill kept Christensen contained, limiting the back to just 37 second-half yards.

The secondary also came alive, as senior Tom Multari caught two interceptions, and returned one for a touchdown. Multari picked off Capistrano Valley Christian sophomore quarterback Bryan Argaez on the Eagles’ first play after a fourth-quarter kickoff. The Lightning had just scored and were leading, 47-21, when Multari swept to the right for a 26-yard touchdown return 17 seconds later.

“It’s weird,” Anderson said. “When you’re a senior, when the light goes on that your career’s about to end, it’s very motivating, and I think that’s what happened over the halftime.”

FIRST QUARTER

SH – Witte 27 pass from McGee (pass failed), 4:02.

SECOND QUARTER

CVC – Jacobs 13 pass from A. Argaez (Howe kick), 10:25.

SH – Oklejas 46 pass from McGee (Torres run), 6:16.

CVC – Howe 11 run (Howe kick), 0:42.

SH – Witte 42 pass from McGee (kick failed), 0:08.

THIRD QUARTER

SH – McGee 7 run (pass failed), 10:43.

SH – Oklejas 37 pass from McGee (Torres run), 7:09.

CVC – Christensen 1 run (Howe kick), 2:56.

FOURTH QUARTER

SH – McGee 8 run (Ross kick), 11:51.

SH – Oklejas 4 pass from McGee (kick failed), 10:12.

SH – Multari 26 interception return (Ross kick), 9:55.

CVC – Howe 1 run (Stinson pass from A. Argaez) 5:20.

SH – Torres 5 run (kick failed), 2:42.

CVC – Stinson 30 pass from A. Argaez (Howe run), 0:30.

INDIVIDUAL RUSHING

CVC – Christensen, 29-146, 1 TD; Howe, 11-78, 2 TDs; A. Argaez, 1-9; Hauschka, 1-2; B. Argaez, 1-1.

SH – Torres, 11-38, 1 TD; McGee, 3-18, 2 TD; Higgins, 3-23.

INDIVIDUAL PASSING

CVC – A. Argaez, 12-24-2, 164, 2 TD; Howe, 1-2-0, 5.

SH – McGee, 17-32-0, 429, 5 TD.

INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING

CVC – Howe, 4-56; Jacobs, 4-33, 1TD; Mulryan, 2-31; Stinson, 2-35, 1 TD; Hauschka, 1-14.

SH – Oklejas, 9-215, 3 TDs; Witte, 5-166, 2TD; Torres, 2-36; Higgins, 1-12.