Crean Lutheran comes back to beat Huntington Beach for Epsilon League title: Final score, results

Lance Smith

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Crean Lutheran comes back to beat Huntington Beach for Epsilon League title: Final score, results image

After going down 21-0 one play into the second quarter, Crean Lutheran survived Huntington Beach and stayed unbeaten for an Epsilon League title on Friday.

In a game featuring two 4-star QBs, Crean Lutheran RB and 3-star Sacramento State commit Caleb Bey was the star of the night with two rushing touchdowns, a receiving touchdown, and 197 yards of offense. For Huntington Beach, one of the main stories was more than 150 yards lost to penalties, at least three of which were personal fouls.

Huntington Beach opened the game with a 63-yard touchdown from Brady Edmunds to Troy Foster, a three-and-out, a 14-yard touchdown from Edmunds to Nathan Villanueva, a turnover on downs, and another 42-yard strike from Edmunds to Foster. And Crean Lutheran's next drive was also dead in the water before a pair of personal fouls on Huntington Beach defenders ended the Oilers' momentum on both sides of the ball.

Instead, that drive ended in Crean Lutheran's first score, a 15-yard touchdown run from Bey, which cut the team's deficit to 21-7 with 7:37 left in the first half. That's when the Saints' defense locked in as well, allowing no points for more than two quarters and only one more score from the rest of the game.

Crean Lutheran got within one score with 3:15 left in the quarter on a one-yard run from Dillon Booth, who'd just caught a reverse pass from Jones to get to the one. And the Saints went into halftime with the score tied at 21 following a brilliant 10-yard receiving touchdown from Bey that featured a big cut-back to the middle and multiple defenders getting trucked with 23 seconds left.

The Oilers didn't fold, however. They didn't make a run, but they didn't fold. The only score of the third quarter was a 37-yard field goal by Eric Miao that put Crean Lutheran up 24-21 with 4:49 remaining. Bey blasted through the defense for a short yardage touchdown two minutes into the fourth quarter, and even with 9:54, it seemed to be the dagger with the Oilers' offense nearly lifeless.

Huntington Beach made a small push by keeping Crean Lutheran off the board for the rest of the game and scoring a touchdown with 3:52 left on a two-yard keeper by Edmunds. But Bey and the Saints were able to run out the clock after that without drama.

The Saints are now 9-0, Epsilon League champions, and in our eyes, a legitimate sleeper threat to win a Southern Section Division 2 title.

Scroll down for updates and results from the game in timeline order.

Crean Lutheran vs. Huntington Beach final score, results

Crean Lutheran wins 31-28.

FOURTH QUARTER:

3:52 – Crean Lutheran 31, Huntington Beach 28: The Oilers' running game comes alive a bit as Brady Edmunds finishes a patient drive with a two-yard rush.

9:54 – Crean Lutheran 31, Huntington Beach 21: It's Caleb Bey again. He powers it in from several yards out to finish a drive that was almost entirely made up of his runs.

THIRD QUARTER:

1:54: A promising Oilers drive ends with a turnover on downs, and Crean Lutheran takes over at its own 39-yard line.

4:49 – Crean Lutheran 24, Huntington Beach 21: Crean Lutheran has its first lead of the game and is on a four-score run after a 37-yard field goal by Eric Miao.

SECOND QUARTER:

0:23 – Crean Lutheran 21, Huntington Beach 21: The Saints have come all the way back in just one quarter! Caleb Bey scores a 10-yard highlight touchdown involving a big cut-back to the middle and a lot of power running after a short pass from Jones.

3:15 – Huntington Beach 21, Crean Lutheran 14: Crean Lutheran is all the way back in the game. Dillon Booth runs it in from a yard out after catching a reverse pass to get the Saints to the one-yard line. This touchdown drive was aided by Oiler penalties, including a personal foul, just like the previous one.

7:37 – Huntington Beach 21, Crean Lutheran 7: Caleb Bey endures some contact to punch it in from several yards out and get Crean Lutheran on the board. The Saints were aided by three costly Huntington Beach penalties, including a taunting and a personal foul for 15 yards each.

EARLY Q2 – Huntington Beach 21, Crean Lutheran 0: The rout might be on here. On the first play of the second quarter, Edmunds hits Foster in full extension from 42 yards out for another touchdown.

FIRST QUARTER:

0:08: Huntington Beach's great start continues by forcing a Crean Lutheran turnover on downs around midfield.

1:21 – Huntington Beach 14, Crean Lutheran 0: RB Nathan Villanueva catches a screen pass from Edmunds and goes 14 yards for his first receiving touchdown of the season to extend Huntington's lead.

8:00: Huntington Beach's strong start continues as its defense forces a three-and-out.

10:44 – Huntington Beach 7, Crean Lutheran 0: The Oilers get off to a great start as Troy Foster takes a pass from Brady Edmunds 63 yards to the house.