McGrew’s 5 TDs leads Bosco to win

COSTA MESA – Forrest Gump’s “Run Forest Run” was changed to “Run Sean Run” last Friday when Bosco’s Sean McGrew ran for nearly 400 yards and five TDs in a Trinity League win over JSerra 49-44. The junior running back ran for scores of 16, 75, 75, 4 and 64 yards. Bosco needed every one of those touchdowns to hold off the JSerra Lions in this “Instant Classic” Pac-5 contest that had seven lead changes in the game.

McGrew wasn’t the only running back turning this football game into a track meet. JSerra’s tailback Edward “EJ” Vander displayed his talents by rushing for 217 yards on 29 carries and two touchdowns to stake his team to a 24-21 halftime lead.

Neither team’s offense cooled down in the second half and with Bosco clinging to a fourth quarter four-point lead, 42-38 Bosco coach Jason Negro decided to gamble.

With just over two minutes left in the game and Bosco facing a 4th down and 16 from their own 36-yard line Negro called on McGrew, also the team punter, to fake the punt and try to run for the first down. The 5-foot, 7-inch speedster did more than pick up the first down. Aided by great line blocking to seal the edge McGrew streaked down the left sideline for the 64-yard touchdown and put an explanation point on his record breaking evening.  McGrew’s total of 386 rushing yards is a new Bosco school record for a single game, which was previously held and set last year by McGrew.

The fake punt touchdown stretched the Bosco lead to 11, but this see-saw battle was far from over.

With 1:56 left in the game JSerra quarterback Nick Robinson capped a 67-yard drive with a 12-yard touchdown pass to wideout Ethan Aguayo. Though JSerra didn’t convert the two-point conversion attempt the lead was down to 49-44 with just under a minute to play in regulation.

Needing the ball back, the Lions nearly pulled off their onside kick to perfection. The Lions recovered the onside kick, but the referees called JSerra for “illegal touching” of the football when it hit a Lion player’s leg before the kickoff traveled the necessary 10 yards.

Bosco was awarded the ball and ran out the clock to take their season record to (6-1, 2-0).

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Published: Oct. 23, 2014 - Volume 13 - Issue 28