CARLSBAD — Over the weekend, the Carlsbad High School football team put the rest of the county on notice: the Lancers are here to win.
Carlsbad routed visiting Mater Dei Catholic 48-14 on Aug. 26 in front of a sold-out home crowd at Swede Krcmar Stadium and a nationally televised audience on ESPN2.
The Lancers raced out to a 20-0 lead in the first quarter after a pair of rushing touchdowns from running back Mason Walsh and Colton Thomas’ 20-yard interception return for a touchdown.
Carlsbad continued the blitzkrieg against the Crusaders (0-2) with 21 points in the second quarter, heading into the locker room with a 41-0 lead. Walsh, who scored three touchdowns in the first half, has 22 total touchdowns in the past 14 games.
Carlsbad senior quarterback Julian Sayin, who recently committed to Alabama, threw for 138 yards, rushed for 63 yards and tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Lancers receivers Will Cianfrini and Josh Ball. While both receivers made impressive catches over their respective defenders, Cianfrini made a circus-like grab, tipping the ball with one hand before securing the reception.
“We got a bunch of good players returning and they’re a mature bunch,” CHS head coach Thadd MacNeal said of the defense. “Overall, we did some really good things, took care of the football and executed on third downs.”
Carlsbad has now won 19 of its last 20 home games and looks to be a frontrunner for the CIF Open Division Championship for the fourth consecutive season. There is optimism around the program for the Lancers to finally break through and win the CIF title after three losses, including a heartbreaking defeat to Lincoln last year.
The Lancers’ defense bottled up Crusaders running back Anthony McMillian, a San Diego State commit, and quarterback Kartell Purvis, who had almost no time to set up in the pocket. The Lancers were able to demobilize Mater Dei Catholic’s offense to the point where the Crusaders struggled to cross midfield in the first half.
Carlsbad’s offense, led by Sayin, took advantage of great field position all night and was firing on all cylinders on the ground and through the air.
The Lancers kicked off the season with a 29-6 win at Inglewood and now get ready to line up against San Pasqual on Sept. 1.
“There’s a little bit of jitters, you’re playing on national TV and want to look good,” Sayin said. “Mason is my guy, he’s someone I can lean on. He’s a baller and I definitely love having him in the backfield.”
Watch the full game here:
