Sports

El Toro, Tustin Clash in Football Title Game Saturday at Angel Stadium

High-flying Chargers meet grind-it-out Tillers in CIF Southern Section's Southwest Division championship game at 2 p.m. Tickets available at stadium box office on Saturday.

When someone talks about El Toro High's football team this season, the first name that gets mentioned is record-setting quarterback Conner Manning. The 6-foot-2 junior has set an Orange County record for passing yardage in a single season while leading the Chargers to 12 consecutive victories and a berth in the CIF Southern Section's Southwest Division championship game against Tustin at Angel Stadium of Anaheim on Saturday. Kickoff is 2 p.m.

Manning threw for 495 yards in El Toro's 47-41 victory over La Habra last week to move him past former Mater Dei quarterback Matt Barkley and into first place in the county's record book with 3,946 yards. He leads the county this season with 37 touchdown passes -- 11 coming in the playoffs -- against only six interceptions.

“I think Conner can be one of the better quarterbacks in the county by the end of the season, and he still has another year after this one,” El Toro's second-year coach, Rob Frith, said last June. “Experience at that position is huge. I tell people we’re either going to win by 70 or lose by 70.”

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Well, maybe not 70, but by 30, as the Chargers (12-1) have outscored their 13 opponents, 574 to 163 (an average of 44-13), on their way to the Sea View League title.

But it's not all Manning, who has a remarkable supporting cast who keep the metal to the pedal of El Toro's hurry-up, no-huddle, high-octane offense. Junior running back Jacob Furnari has rushed for 1,481 yards and 24 touchdowns, including 235 yards and four touchdowns against La Habra. Junior wide receiver Cody White has 80 receptions for 1,182 yards and 15 touchdowns, including 10 catches for 150 yards and a touchdown against La Habra.

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Senior linebackers Brian Moreen and Andrew Wilson lead El Toro's defense, which has given up more points in its three playoff games (91) than it did the entire regular season (70). During one stretch, the Chargers did not allow an an opponent to score a touchdown over 20 consecutive quarters. Moreen has 155 tackles and 3.5 sacks, while Wilson has 103 tackles and five sacks.

Tustin's forte is its double-wing offense that features the running of senior Tyler Siudzinski (1,787 yards and 19 touchdowns), junior Terence Martinez (572 yards and nine touchdowns, plus 135 receiving yards and a touchdown) and junior Edward Tandy (438 yards and six touchdowns). When the Tillers do pass the ball, those duties fall to junior Quinnton Roberson, who has thrown for 561 yards and four touchdowns, but it was his completion to senior Michael Lilly that beat Foothill, 21-20, in the semifinals.

On defense, the Tillers (10-3), who finished tied with Cypress and Yorba Linda atop the Empire League standings, are led by senior linebacker Christopher Quintero (78 tackles and five sacks) and Tandy (73 tackles, two sacks and three interceptions).

How Did They Get Here?

El Toro held on to beat second-seeded La Habra, 47-41 in the semifinals. The Chargers fell behind, 13-0, then scored 47 consecutive points, only to see the Highlanders rally for the final 28 points to make the game, well, interesting. La Habra was the Freeway League champion and was looking to win a fifth consecutive division title, the first two in the Southeast and the last two in the Southwest. The Chargers scored a resounding 58-20 victory over Yorba Linda, which tied with Tustin and Cypress for the Empire League title, in the quarterfinals, and Esperanza, the fourth-place team from the Century League, 54-30, in the first round.

Tustin edged neighborhood rival Foothill, 21-20, in its semifinal game. Foothill, which finished tied for second in the Century League, advanced to the semifinals with an upset of fourth-seeded Cypress, 34-24, in the quarterfinals. Tustin upended top-seeded Villa Park, the Century League champion, 35-7, in the quarterfinals after handling Aliso Niguel, which tied for second in the Sea View League, 63-6, in the first round.

El Toro won its three playoff games by an average score of 53-30, while Tustin's victories have come by an average of 40-12. Sooooo, figure the Chargers to have the more prolific offense, while Tustin's defense, at least in the last three games, holds the edge.

Who Are the Top Players?

El Toro -- No. 1 Landon West, Sr., DB; No. 2 Dominic Collins, So., WR; No. 5 Jacob Furnari, Jr., RB; No. 6 Evan Acker, Jr., DB; No. 9 Anthony Jackson, Jr., DB; No. 13 Roger Howard, Jr., K/P; No. 15 Erik Pitt, Sr., DB; No. 17 Conner Manning, Jr., QB; No. 18 Blake Murphy, Jr., WR; No. 22 Jeff Nelson, Jr., DE; No. 24 Gabe Cerda, Jr., LB; No. 25 Brian Chinchilla, Jr., RB; No. 28 Andrew Wilson, Jr., LB; No. 41 Brian Moreen, Sr., LB; No. 52 Cody Wallace, Sr., DE; No. 55 Avery Bean, Sr., NG; No. 84 Alec Shoffeitt, Jr., WR; No. 88 Cody White, Jr., WR

Tustin -- No. 2 Michael Lilly, Sr., DB; No. 3 Treshon Broughton, Jr., WR/DB; No. 5 Quinnton Roberson, Jr., QB/DB; No. 9 Marshaun Daniel, Jr., FB/LB; No. 20 Anthony Lock, Sr., RB/DB; No. 23 Christopher Quintero, Sr., FB/LB; No. 24 Terence Martinez, Jr., RB/SS; No. 28 Tyler Siudzinski, Sr., RB/SS; No. 42 Greg Hoyd, So., TE/DE; No. 44 Andrew Scott, So., TE/DE; No. 47 Edward Tandy, Jr., FB/LB; No. 54 David Maka, OL/DL

Battle to watch -- Coach Myron Miller has always preferred small-rostered teams, figuring he'd rather have his best players on both offense and defense, but the 30 Tillers in uniform on Saturday may be overmatched by El Toro's high-flying offense. The Chargers, on the other hand, can concentrate on stopping Tustin's double-wing offense that simply runs, runs again and then runs some more.

How Did They Fare Against Common Opponents?

Make what you will of the following results:

-- vs. Yorba Linda: Tustin lost to the Mustangs, 14-12, on Oct. 7; El Toro won, 58-20, on Nov. 25.

-- vs. Aliso Niguel: El Toro beat the Wolverines, 47-0, on Oct. 21; Tustin won, 63-8, on Nov. 18.

What Are Their Playoff Histories?

El Toro has appeared in five CIF Section division championship games but it's been 16 years since the Chargers have played for all the marbles. When El Toro reaches the title game, it usually wins it, posting a 4-1 record. The Chargers' first victory came in 1982, when they beat Fullerton, 35-19, for the Central Conference title. They defeated Santa Ana, 26-10, in the Southern Division final in 1986; beat Los Alamitos, 36-6, for the Southern Division title in 1987; lost to Paramount, 26-20, in the Division III final in 1989, and defeated Servite, 27-17, for the Division V title in 1995.

Tustin has appeared in six division championship games, including last year's, but has won only once, in its first appearance in 1948, when it defeated Vista, 20-13, in the Lower Division. Since then, the Tillers have lost to Sunny Hills, 7-3, in the Division VI final in 1990; to Valencia, 27-27, in the Division VI final in 1991; to Santa Margarita, 55-42, in the Division V final in 1997, and to La Habra in the Southwest Division title games of 2008 and 2010 by scores of 26-14 and 35-26, respectively.

The Tillers beat El Toro, 24-17, in the quarterfinals last season behind 255 yards of rushing. Manning shared quarterback duties for the Chargers in that game, passing for only 65 yards and suffering three interceptions. Don't expect those same numbers this time around.

How Much Are Tickets and Where Can I Buy Them?

Pre-sale ticket prices were sold at the high schools through Thursday, but for those still seeking them, they will be available on Saturday at the stadium box office, but only $12 general admission tickets and $5 student/child tickets.

The stadium will be cleared after the game, and a separate ticket is required to attend the Pac-5 championship game, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

Parking is $10 ($20 for vehicles over 20 feet).

Can't Make It to Angel Stadium?

If you can't attend the game in person, it will be broadcast live on on the Internet by Fox Sports West's "Prep Zone." Or check back here on Patch.com, where this story will be updated live throughout the game. You can also keep track of all the action via Twitter by following me at #born2run52.


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