NEWPORT BEACH – Quarterback David Rasor threw three touchdown passes to Cooper Hoch to lead the Corona del Mar football team to a 41-10 victory over Downey on Friday in the season opener for both teams at Newport Harbor High.
Rasor, a UC Davis commit who passed for 34 TDs last season as a junior, completed 29 of 37 passes for 343 yards as CdM (1-0) defeated the Vikings in their second consecutive season opener.
Hoch caught 12 passes for 133 yards.
The Vikings (0-1) took the opening kickoff and marched 80 yards in 11 plays for a touchdown to take an early lead. Quarterback Aiden Chiles capped the drive with a 14-yard TD pass to BJ Carey, giving Downey a 7-0 lead.
Chiles kept the drive alive by completing a crucial fourth-down pass for a first down.
The Sea Kings countered quickly on their first possession, putting together a 10-play, 71-yard scoring drive. Rasor completed a 4-yard touchdown pass to Hoch for the TD, but the Sea Kings missed the PAT and trailed 7-6.
“I felt after we came back right away and scored after they scored, I think that gave us the momentum,” said Hoch.
Early in the second quarter, after stopping the Vikings on a fourth-down play, Rasor and Hoch hooked up for a second TD pass, this time a 3-yarder that upped the Sea Kings lead to 13-7.
After Downey kicker Isaac Madrid booted a 37-yard field goal to cut the lead to 13-10, Rasor directed two more impressive CdM drives in the final 4:20 of the half.
Rasor scored on a 2-yard run and then with just over a minute left in the half, he completed six consecutive passes and drove the Sea Kings 83 yards. The drive ended with his 26-yard TD pass to Hoch on the final play of half and gave CdM a commanding 27-10 at the break.
“Our offense was really consistent and we had over 250 yards in the first half,” said Sea Kings coach Dan O’Shea. “Our defense settled down after giving up an early touchdown. It’s a big win to start the season.”
CdM scored twice in the span of nine seconds in the third quarter, highlighted by Mason Kubichek’s 38-yard interception return for a touchdown to extend the team’s lead.
The Vikings weren’t able to rebound from that.
CdM scored on each of its four possessions in the first half.
Chiles, an Oregon State commit, completed 12 passes for 86 yards and a TD. He also rushed for 60 yards.
“We knew this would be a big test for us,” said Downey coach Jack Williams. “We lost two starters, including BJ Carey with a leg contusion, to injury and we played five freshmen tonight. Our guys played hard all the way. All of us will learn from this game and we’ll come back and be ready next week.”