Nothing could stop Dillon Baxter in his path for a perfect end to his prep career. Not the rain. Not the muddy field at Southwestern College, churned to pieces by game’s end. Certainly not the Valley Center Jaguars. Heck, all the king’s horses and all the king’s men might have had a hard time on this night.
Baxter, in a performance for the ages, rushed for 384 yards and seven touchdowns as the top-seeded Mission Bay Bucaneers (13-0) ran past Valley Center 48-17 in Chula Vista. Baxter, who already owns the state scoring record, came within 40 yards of the single-game San Diego section rushing record, held by Kenneth James Jr. of Mt. Carmel, who ran for 424 yards against Westview earlier this year.
His first carry of the night went for 34 yards, but that was just a warmup. On his final carry of the first half, Baxter broke a 92-yard scoring run. On his first carry of the third quarter, it was Dillon Baxter for 87 yards and another score. A 46 yard scoring romp on 4th down sealed the deal in the final quarter.
Baxter, who had twice lost in the CIF championship game previously, savored the victory in his final prep game:
Mission Bay coach Willie Matson talks to his excited players after a 58-42 win over Santa Fe Christian/(619 Sports photo)
BALBOA STADIUM–Mission Bay senior quarterback Dillon Baxter was willing to do anything and everything to get his Bucs to the Division IV finals. Santa Fe Christian’s senior running back Sam Hoekstra felt the same way.
The two stars put on a dizzying display of yardage and points at old Balboa Stadium, but in the end it was Mission Bay (12-0) standing on top by a 58-42 score, earning a trip to Southwestern College next Saturday night to battle defending champ Valley Center for the D-IV title.
In a game that featured 14 combined touchdowns, 1,072 yards of total combined offense and zero punts, Dillon Baxter filled up the box score as few have done before. The USC-bound senior quarterback threw for 271 yards (13/16 passing) and two touchdowns, ran 32 times for 177 yards, three TDs and a pair of two-point conversions, and even caught a 27-yard touchdown pass. For good measure, Baxter added an interception on defense, and his presence as a kick returning threat led Santa Fe Christian to pooch or squib-kick every kickoff, leading to tremendous field position for Mission Bay.
All in a night’s work, said Baxter:
Meanwhile, Sam Hoekstra of Santa Fe Christian burst for scoring runs of 52, 43, 12, and 80 yards while racking up 313 rushing yards on 18 carries. The Eagles’ senior star knew his team’s offense would do the job, but stopping Baxter was a different story:
Read more, plus listen to complete interviews with Baxter, Mahbu Keels, coach Willie Matson and Sam Hoekstra after the jump: Continue Reading →
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