Eagles host Div. 4 quarterfinal game on Nov. 15

TEMPLETON — Templeton High School quarterback Tyler Kaschewski had another highlight-reel game Friday night.

“He’s a special player,” THS coach Don Crow said. “We have three of them, take that back we have about 12 of them, but he is really special.”

The junior accounted for seven touchdowns — five rushing and two passing — in the third-seeded Eagles 55-21 victory over the 14th-seeded Fresno-Roosevelt Roughriders on Erb Field at Volunteer Stadium in Templeton in the opening round of the CIF Central Section Div. 4 football playoffs.

It was the second time this season that Kaschewski had seven TDs in a game. He ran for five and threw for two in a 69-61 win over Carmel in week two. Only once this season has a team held him to one TD in a game.

“It feels amazing,” Kaschewski said. “First win in the playoffs in like four years. It just feels amazing. It was a team effort. If we put our full effort into the whole game we can beat anyone.”

Templeton scored on its only possession of the first quarter and never trailed in the contest. After forcing an incomplete pass on fourth-and-11 from their 32-yard line, the Eagles took over on downs.

Kaschewski led the Eagles on an eight-play, 68-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 33-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Marino D’alfonso with 3 minutes and 24 seconds remaining in the first quarter. After the extra-point attempt was blocked, THS led 6-0. D’alfonso had five catches for 101 yards.

Templeton’s defense forced Roosevelt to turn the ball over on downs five times in the game and each time the Eagles scored. THS also recovered an RHS fumble. 

“Great win. The kids played really well tonight,” Crow said. “Offensively, we were lights out. Defensively, other than two plays I thought we played great. Gave up two long plays in the first half, but after that, I thought our defense played outstanding.”

Kaschewski was a perfect 3-for-3 passing — all to different receivers — on the opening drive for 64 yards. He finished the game completing 9-of-10 passes for 157 yards and two TDs.

Coming out passing was by design, Crow said.

“We wanted to loosen them up by throwing the ball and then we did and we were able to run the ball after that,” Crow said.

Kaschewski’s second passing touchdown was to Ryan Doty with :49 left in the first half and pushed the Eagles’ lead to 34-7. On first-and-10 from the Roosevelt 24-yard line, Kaschewski rolled to his right and passed to Doty who caught the football along the sideline at the 4 and carried two defenders across the goal line.

On Roosevelt’s ensuing possession, Daijon Giddens broke free for a 69-yard TD run as the half expired. The Roughriders converted the PAT and went into the break trailing 34-14.

Giddens ran for three TDs in the loss and finished with a game-high 242 rushing yards on 31 carries. His 36-yard run in the second quarter brought Roosevelt to 13-7 with 9:44 left in the half. He powered in from 5-yards out on the Roughriders’ first series of the second half to make it a two-score game, 34-12.

“It was a little nervous, they scored right out of the half, made it close, and then Tyler made a great play and then we were off and running,” Crow said. 

As they did in the first half, Templeton answered scoring 21-straight to put the game out of reach.

Kaschewski’s final score a 45-yard rush brought the crowd to its feet as he bounced off a tackler, ran through a tackle, spun out of a defender’s arms, jumped out of a tackle and skipped into the endzone with 4:04 left in the fourth quarter, extending the Eagle’s lead to 55-21. He capped off an 80-yard drive with a 3-yard TD run in the third quarter.

Kaschewski rushed for three TDs in the second quarter — 25, 52 and 3 yards. For the game, he carried the ball 14 times for 179 yards.

Joshua Berna added a 3-yard rushing touchdown in the fourth quarter for the Eagles. 

The game was called with :09 left after a fight broke out in front of the Roosevelt bench. Players from both benches ran onto the field. A referee was injured and had to be helped off the field. Crow was not happy with the finish, but said his team would learn from it.

“It’s not alright,” Crow said. “A lesson for everybody.”

Templeton (10-1) will host sixth-seeded Delano-Kennedy (9-2) at 7 p.m. on Nov. 15 in the Div. 4 quarterfinals. THS is 6-0 at home and has won seven straight.

The Thunderbirds downed No. 11 Santa Maria 40-22 on Friday night.