What was first billed as a battle of running backs with McLane’s top back against Matilda Torres’ Caden Warden turned into a comeback attempt by the Toros in a 23-13 loss to the Highlanders.
Warden rushed for 63 yards on 14 carries while McLane’s top back averaged more than 10 yards a carry, and scored three touchdowns with 230 yards. He accounted for almost 80 percent of McLane’s offense.
Nathaniel Pichardo led the Toros’ offense with 265 yards passing. Warden caught three passes for 88 yards, including an 80-yard touchdown. Joseph Pasillas caught seven passes for 85 yards.
McLane got on the scoreboard first with two runs for 77 yards, and a touchdown just 1:12 into the game.
Both teams had to punt on its next possession.
Torres got a 17-yard pass play to Pasillas. Alfredo Diaz made a tremendous catch off a tip inside the McLane 20, but a penalty nullified the play, and the Toros had to punt.
McLane ran the ball on eight straight plays for 60 yards with the final from 10 yards out for the touchdown, and a 13-0 lead with nine minutes left in the first half.
The Toros finally got a scoring drive after Pichardo hit Diaz for 17 yards on third-and-five. Pichardo hit Pasillas in the flat for a 14-yard gain with a down field block by Jordan Garcia.
However, the drive stalled inside the 10, and Eduardo Jimenez-Magdaleno knocked in a 21-yard field goal with 3:23 left in the half.
The Toros defense got a sack, and forced a McLane punt.
With 41 seconds left in the half, Pichardo hit Warden on the left out of the backfield with a pass in the flat. Warden burst down the left sideline, and outran all of the McLane defenders’ angles for an 80-yard touchdown catch-and-run. Jimenez-Magdaleno’s point after cut the lead to 13-10 with 30.6 seconds left in the half.
McLane got a 40-yard run to start its next drive, and took the ball to the 12. However, they missed a 29-yard field goal at the half.
McLane picked off Pichardo with a pass tipped off of Torres to set up a second half scoring drive. Three plays later, McLane scored for 22 yards out for a 20-10 lead three minutes into the second half.
Torres drove inside the McLane 35, but turned the ball over on downs, and the defense forced a McLane punt.
The Toros turned the ball over on downs at its own 42. The Highlanders drove inside the Torres 10-yard line, but had to settle for a 27-yard field goal for a 23-10 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Pichardo opened the next drive with a 13-yard pass to Garcia. He found Diaz for 17 yards to the McLane 19. Pichardo hit Pasillas on a middle screen for 15 yards to the one.
After a penalty moved the Toros back five yards, Pasillas scored on an end around to cut the McLane lead to 23-17 with 3:35 left in the game.
After a failed onsides kick, the Torres defense gave the offense a chance with two runs for one yard, and an incomplete pass to force a punt.
Pichardo found Keondre Shepherd for 22 yards on third-and-seven to get into McLane territory.
Pichardo hit Warden for six yards on third-and-three with 1:20 left in the game. However, four straight incomplete passes turned the ball over on downs, ad the Highlanders took a knee for the win.