CARLSBAD — La Costa Canyon didn’t just win Friday night’s clash of crosstown Avocado West powerhouses; the Mavericks ran past previously unbeaten, first-place Carlsbad, 50-22 on the road, sending a clear message in the Open Division race and claiming bragging rights from the cliffs to the Village.
“Our team definitely challenged each other and held one another accountable this week, as this game could determine whether or not we make the Open Division playoffs,” LCC junior tight end Diego Botron told The Coast News.
La Costa Canyon set the tone from the first whistle. Mavs senior Ford Mitchell returned the opening kickoff to near midfield, and a facemask penalty on Carlsbad pushed the Mavericks inside the 40. Six plays later, LCC quarterback Quinn Roth found wide receiver Lennox Marcucci on a slant route in the end zone on third-and-goal.
The Mavericks never looked back, storming out to a 29-0 lead before the Lancers could find their rhythm. LCC carried a 36-8 advantage into the locker room at the half.
A blocked extra point gave the Lancers a brief shot of momentum after the opening score, but offensive penalties pushed Carlsbad into a third-and-long. Then, Lancers’ hyper-efficient quarterback Eli MacNeal turned the ball over for the first time all season, scrambling before throwing an interception to Mitchell.
LCC turned the turnover into six points as Roth threw his second touchdown — a play-action pass to offensive jack-of-all-trades and UC Davis commit Coby Herman, who came out of the backfield and slipped behind the Carlsbad defense.
“Playing with Quinn [Roth] is definitely a privilege,” Botron said. “[He’s] not only a talented player but knows the whole playbook and is able to command the offense as a leader.”
“[Quinn Roth] is very good, smart and accurate,” MacNeal said. “I have a lot of respect for him.”
Roth, a six-foot-four senior, came into the evening with 24 touchdown passes against just three interceptions.
“He gets the ball out so fast, you really have to find ways to confuse him and make him think twice about where he normally goes in his progression — looking at the third or fourth option,” Carlsbad defensive backs coach Lance Thomas said. “Right from the start, it’s not about trying to stop him completely, because we’re not going to. It’s about minimizing and reducing the opportunities he normally has success with.”
Herman added three more scores on the ground.
Carlsbad managed to narrow the deficit in the second quarter, 29-8, but a trick play on a Mavericks punt — a direct snap to upback Ryan Scully, who raced 50 yards into the end zone, effectively sealed the win.
“It’s definitely a game we thought about, especially considering there is a league title on the line,” Carlsbad junior tight end Trent Kellas said. “We wanted to go out and play fast and free.”
The exclamation point came late in the fourth quarter on MacNeal’s second interception, a pick-six by Ethan Polloreno.
The win marked La Costa Canyon’s second consecutive victory in the crosstown rivalry, following a 21-11 win last season that ended Carlsbad’s six-game winning streak in the series.
“People try to say it’s the rivalry, or whatever. We haven’t made a big deal of that,” Thomas said. “We’re trying to stay business as usual — one week at a time, one game at a time. If other people want to make it a big deal, that’s for them. For us, we’re laser-focused, trying to block out all the extra stuff that’s out there.”
With Mission Hills’ 56-0 rout of Rancho Bernardo Friday night, the Avocado West League is now in a three-way logjam, with Carlsbad, LCC and MHHS, all sitting at 8-1 overall and 2-1 in league, heading into the final week of the regular season.
Carlsbad travels to Del Norte, while La Costa Canyon hosts Torrey Pines, and Mission Hills visits San Marcos.
