Murrieta Mesa celebrated its senior class before Friday night’s Big West Conference-South Division showdown against King. The Rams ended their warmup session 30 minutes before kickoff and then players lined up with their family on the sidelines.

And it took a while to get back into game mode. Murrieta Mesa faced a double-digit deficit during the first half, but the Rams recovered, scored 37 unanswered points and ultimately cruised to a 51-24 victory to clinch at least a share of the league title.

“It took us a minute,” Murrieta Mesa coach Oscar McBride said about the come-from-behind win. “It’s Senior Night, emotions are running a little high…. We didn’t panic. We just needed to settle in, and once that happened we really executed very well.”

King (6-3 overall, 3-1 in league) grabbed a 17-0 advantage, in large part to the playmaking skills of quarterback Colton Zeen.

Zeen scrambled for several long runs to move the chains, and he tossed touchdown passes to Mark Cadena (27 yards) and Drayton Fitzpatrick (25 yards). Samuel Stewart hit a 40-yard field goal to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead 5 minutes into the game.

Murrieta Mesa (6-3, 4-0) failed to move the ball past midfield on its first two possessions of the game. The Rams desperately needed a spark, and Daniel Page was the answer. Page, a receiver by trade, frequently lined up behind center in the Wildcat formation and his 47-yard carry set up Mesa’s first touchdown, a 17-yard touchdown from Coleman Jones to Kian Hendricks.

Page finished the evening with a game-high 117 yards on 10 carries.

THE REST OF THE ARTICLE IS HERE