Sean Sovacool is in his 15th season as the head football coach at La Costa Canyon High School. Of the quarterbacks he has tutored, eight have gone on to play college football.
The Mavericks’ current starter is 6-foot-3, 175-pound junior Quinn Roth.
“Arguably,” said Sovacool, “the best high school quarterback I ever coached. And I don’t throw that around lightly.”
As a sophomore, Roth threw for more than 2,400 yards and 20 touchdowns. Apparently he’s in for bigger things as a junior.
In the season opener for both teams at Mesa College, Roth directed LCC to a lopsided 37-10 victory over St. Augustine that was effectively over by halftime.
La Costa Canyon led 34-0 after 24 minutes and Roth put on a show, completing 13 of 16 passes for 238 yards and four TDs. The touchdown passes covered 36, 11, 15 and 50 yards. He finished the game 15 of 19 for 273 yards and the four TDs.
Regarding Roth’s outing, which featured accurate short, intermediate and deep completions, Sovacool said: “He did what I expected him to do. That’s the best kid I’ve had under center.”
Of his offense’s opening night performance, Roth said, “Not bad at all. We were clicking.”
La Costa Canyon is loaded with talented skill-position players, none better than running back Coby Herman. Before this season, Sovacool had never issued a player the number zero. Herman requested it and made his head coach a proposal.
“What if I miss zero (spring) workouts, zero practices, zero lifts. Can I be zero?” Herman asked.
Herman kept perfect attendance in the spring and summer and now proudly wears his favorite number. Against St. Augustine he rushed 14 times for 112 yards, including a 1-yard TD. He caught four passes for 87 yards and a 36-yard score.
“That’s Agent Zero,” said Sovacool. “He’s on a mission. He’s very dynamic. He’s very locked in. He’s gonna post. If people don’t know who he is, you’re not paying attention.”
Here’s how dominant La Costa Canyon was the first half. The Mavericks scored touchdowns on five of their six possessions. The one time LCC didn’t score it turned the ball over on downs on the Saints 9. Total yards the first half: LCC 280, Saints 3.
As for Saints outscoring his team 10-3 in the second half, Sovacool said, “They didn’t quit. They didn’t pack it in.”
The highlight for St. Augustine was a 16-play, 65-yard drive to begin the second half, capped by a 1-yard Caelyb Aguirre touchdown run. After gaining one first down in the first half, Saints earned five in the scoring drive.
These two programs met in the first round of the playoffs last year with Saints scoring a 32-17 victory before going on to win the CIF San Diego Section Division I title. But this is a Saints program in transition. Former head coach Ron Gladnick was fired and more than 20 players, most of them starters, transferred, leaving Grand Canyon-sized gaping holes.
Stepping into the challenge is new head coach Ron Caragher, the former University of San Diego and San Jose State head coach. Caragher liked his team’s second-half grit.
“Our culture is we want to embrace the challenge,” said Carragher. “We think our kids can do it. We believe in them.”
La Costa Canyon 37, St. Augustine 10
La Costa Canyon 13 21 0 3 – 37
St. Augustine 0 0 7 3 – 10
LCC — Herman 36 pass from Roth (kick failed)
LCC — Mallory 11 pass from Roth (Stringfellow kick)
LCC — Herman 1 run (Maggiore pass from Roth)
LCC — Marucci 15 pass from Roth (run failed)
LCC — Maffiore 50 pass from Roth (Stringfellow kick)
SA — Aguirre 1 run (Declan kick)
LCC — FG Stringfellow 24
SA — FG Declan 42
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