Narbonne and Jake Garcia cruise to 38-0 win over Orange Lutheran
After cruising to a 38-0 win over Trinity League power Orange Lutheran on Friday night, Narbonne quarterback Jake Garcia said the Gauchos are just scratching the surface for how good they can be.
Garcia and his four main targets in the passing game covered just about every inch of the field at Orange Coast College as the junior passed for 361 yards and four touchdowns in just three quarters in a tune-up for a highly anticipated showdown with Gardena Serra next week.
“I don’t think anyone in the country can hang with our tempo offense,” said Garcia, who completed 19 of his 27 pass attempts before exiting the game late in the third quarter with the game in-hand. “We’re a well-conditioned team and I just get the ball into the hands of my playmakers and let them run with it.”
The playmakers Garcia spoke of are receivers Eren East, Traeshon Holden, Elijah Queen and Joshua Jackson Jr.
Garcia hit East six times for 105 yards and a touchdown. He found Holden seven times for 87 yards and a touchdown.
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Queen had three receptions for 86 yards and two touchdowns and Jackson had four catches for 99 yards.
While the offensive show was impressive throughout, the Narbonne defense came up big in the second half to make sure it didn’t lose its first-half edge.
Three different Gauchos came up with interceptions in the third quarter.
Jordan Banks got the first which led to a 53-yard touchdown pass from Garcia to East.
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Craig Martin snagged one on the first play of the Lancers’ ensuing possession, which led to a 36-yard touchdown pass from Garcia to Holden.
Finally, with Orange Lutheran in Narbonne territory, Alonso Person stopped a potential scoring opportunity with an interception.
“We talked at halftime about not easing up,” Narbonne interim coach Joe Aguirre said. “I know our guys and it was best to keep our foot on the pedal.”
Narbonne (3-1) scored on all four of its offensive possessions in the first half.
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Tomarion Harden scored on a one-yard run at the 10:33 mark of the first quarter after a special-teams miscue by Orange Lutheran (2-2).
The Lancers forced the Gauchos to punt on their first drive, but the ball took a bad bounce — hitting a Lancers player — and Narbonne recovered on the Orange Lutheran 19-yard line.
Narbonne took a two-touchdown lead as Garcia threw a jump ball to Queen into the left corner of the end zone.
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