“Playing four quarters of football.”
That was the main focus for head coach Kurt Hines and the Coronado Islanders as the team headed into their homecoming game on Sept. 27. Hines said the players had to piece together four solid quarters, something they didn’t do the week prior in a 49-14 loss to Mission Bay.
The Islanders were primed for a bounce-back game against the Mar Vista Mariners, a team they hadn’t lost to since 2018. They took advantage.
The Islanders got rolling early, as it took only four plays to find the end zone in their first drive. It culminated in a Jack O’Sullivan bullet to sophomore receiver Reese Pagon, who went on to have a big night, in the front right corner of the end zone to put Coronado up 7-0.
Three plays later, the ball was back in the Islanders’ hands due to a deep ball from Mar Vista’s sophomore quarterback Holden Bell that was picked off by junior defensive back Jake Nelson.
Two snaps later, senior running back Chase Jenkins walked in for 6, making the Coronado lead 13-0. By the end of the first quarter, the Islanders were up 28-7, and Mar Vista had already scored its last points.
Hines approached three of his linemen, senior Stanley Guymon, senior Ozzie Smith and sophomore Chris Sturm on the sideline. The message was clear: stay in the game.
“Hey, you guys are playing great,” Hines said. “We’ve been here before and lost. Keep your focus.”
Hines was citing a game played against Maranatha Christian two weeks prior, in which Coronado was up 28-7 before promptly losing the lead and losing the game, 42-35. Fortunately for Hines, that outcome wouldn’t come back to haunt him.
The Islanders controlled the game the entire way and went on to win decisively, 63-7.
The numbers between the two teams were glaring. O’Sullivan completed 76% of his passes; the Mariners completed 20%. The Islanders averaged 8.4 yards per carry; Mar Vista averaged 3.5. Coronado finished the game with 460 scrimmage yards; the Mariners had 63. This game was one-sided the entire time.
Among the highlights for Coronado was the breakout of O’Sullivan. Heading into the game, he had one touchdown pass and seven interceptions. He’d finish the rivalry game with 276 yards and four passing touchdowns, three of which were to Pagon. Pagon notched 98 yards, and senior receiver Spencer Reidarson posted 115 receiving yards and a touchdown to his name.
The running game was prevalent as well. Jenkins ran for 53 yards and two touchdowns on only three carries. Nelson put up 51 yards and a score on four attempts. Junior Melo Avetyan and sophomore Sean Bryant ran touchdowns of their own.
In terms of what went better for O’Sullivan, there was one clear distinguishing factor.
“The biggest thing for Jack was making his reads,” Hines said. “He’s got some favorite receivers, which all quarterbacks do, but it’s one of those things where if we’re not making the reads, then we’re not going to be able to do much good … [I’m] really proud of him for making the reads.”
Coronado has a bye week this week, but the next game is on Oct. 10, on the road at Clairemont High.
