Calabasas hangs on for 65-63 win over Valencia

It was a shootout at the Calabasas Corral.

Sophomore Jaden Casey completed 26 of 54 passes for 544 yards and eight touchdowns to lead Calabasas to a thrilling 65-63 victory over Valencia in an offensive showcase between two area powerhouses Thursday night at Calabasas High.

Casey threw scoring strikes of 80, 30, 15, 54, one, 70, 43 and nine yards for the host Coyotes (5-0), ranked No. 19 in the Southland by The Times, who twice overcame 12-point deficits.

Moises Haynes rushed for 215 yards and four touchdowns in 28 carries for the Vikings (4-1), ranked No. 12.

Johnny Wilson had 10 catches for 199 yards and three touchdowns, Mycah Pittman had six catches for 144 yards and three touchdowns and Nikko Hall added seven catches for 170 yards and two touchdowns for Calabasas.

It was a sign of the way things were going to go when Wilson made an over-the-shoulder catch on the Coyotes’ third play from scrimmage and took it 80 yards for a touchdown.

Jayvaun Wilson capped a seven-play, 65-yard drive for Valencia with a six-yard run that tied the score at 7-7.

A touchdown by Kethan Gooden and a 32-yard field goal by Andrew Allen gave Calabasas a 16-7 lead midway through the first quarter.

Connor Downs completed 24 of 35 passes for 425 yards and one touchdown for the Vikings. He also scored on a one-yard run to pull Valencia within 16-14 with a minute left in the first quarter.

Zachary Semko caught seven passes for 133 yards, Mykael Wright caught four passes for 67 yards and Haynes added six receptions for 52 yards for Valencia, which pulled within 65-63 on Haynes’ five-yard run with 2:04 remaining.

After an interception, Valencia had a chance to take the lead, but on fourth down, Downs threw incomplete to Wright with 1:06 left, sealing the victory for Calabasas.

Calabasas had taken a 65-56 lead on Casey’s nine-yard touchdown pass to Pittman two minutes earlier.

Johnny Wilson’s 15-yard touchdown catch from Casey gave Calabasas a 30-28 halftime lead.

sports@latimes.com