The three most remarkable things Tyler Gaffney did last night did not include his tying the San Diego Section record with seven touchdown runs. Nor did they include the 231 rushing yards he amassed as Cathedral Catholic ran away from Scripps Ranch 70-37 to win the Eastern League championship and cap a perfect 10-0 regular season.
The big three: He put a crushing downfield block on a 96-yard kickoff return touchdown by Josh Jacko to open the second half. He chased down Michigan-bound quarterback Tate Forcier after a 62-yard gain and stopped him at the 6-yard line. And, frankly, he lost track at four or five as the number of times he threw up on the sideline after suffering flu-like symptoms all day.
“There's not enough compliments for him,” Cathedral coach Sean Doyle said. “He's very good. Really good!”
Gaffney, the section's leading scorer with 35 touchdowns coming in, tallied TD runs of 5, 12, 1, 1, 51, 3 and 41 yards to tie seven other players in section history with seven rushing TDs in a game. Coming out of the game midway through the third quarter, he easily could have scored more as the Dons broke a school record for points – eclipsing a 63-21 win over Kearny in 1999 – and wins in a regular season.
“He's a great player,” Forcier said. “He has all the qualities of a (college) Division I running back. And that team is awesome. They're going to turn into a national powerhouse.”
Gaffney, who said he has narrowed his college choices to Stanford, USC and Notre Dame, praised his offensive line for his big night.
“They're probably the best at meshing, coming together and making adjustments,” he said. “They're awesome.”
By winning the toughest league in the section, the No. 2-ranked Dons (10-0, 5-0) will undoubtedly receive the No. 1 seed in Division III when playoff brackets are established today. No. 10 Scripps Ranch (7-3, 3-2) might still garner a top four seed in Division II.
Forcier, the section passing leader, completed 21-of-36 attempts for 295 yards and four touchdowns. Brennan Clay had eight receptions for 121 yards and a TD.
As lopsided as the final turned out, the first half certainly lived up to the pregame hype as the teams combined for 532 total yards (Cathedral 302, Scripps 232). Cathedral took its 28-21 halftime lead by reeling off a whopping 47 plays (40 rushes) and 15 first downs.
Gaffney supplied all the scores after drives of 8, 10, 8 and 17 plays. The last TD in the half came with 21 seconds left, and the Dons thought they would go into halftime with a 28-14 lead.
Forcier had different plans. Three plays later, he threw into the end zone where Brennan Clay made a nice move to get inside of the defender and make an amazing 40-yard TD catch as time expired. Cathedral put things to rest with 35 points in the third quarter.
“They're loaded,” Scripps coach Sergio Diaz said. “They're a team that's full of talent. They executed well. They're well coached. We just weren't able to match up with them in the second half.”
Said Doyle: “Our first goal is always to win league. And then we want a CIF championship. We got the first one.”
