Article 424: Bellarmine wins TO battle, game

10/3/2015

The West Catholic Athletic League opener between Serra and Bellarmine was hard fought but the Padres had too many turnovers to overcome. The Bells bolstered their claim to being the team to beat in the WCAL with the 36-28 win.

The first quarter was scoreless as both defenses came up with big stops to prevent scoring chances. Serra quarterback Leki Nunn had a tipped ball that was intercepted in the red zone while Bellarmine was stopped on a fourth and one at Serra's five yard line. Serra scored first in the second quarter on a three yard run by Kelepi Lataimua that was setup by two key passes by Nunn to extend the drive. Bellarmine got a big 53-yard kick return from Will Wegner that ended with an Antonio Garcia one yard score to tie the game at 7-7. A Nunn fumble led Bellarmine to a 42-yard field goal. The Bells had first and goal at the two but a Troy Martig interception ended the half with a 10-7 advantage for Bellarmine.

Lataimua started the third quarter with a 52-yard score to give Serra the 14-10 margin. Bellarmine scored on their next three possessions with a Martig 51-yard running score, another Garcia one yard run (missed PAT), and a Martig 13-yard scamper. Serra helped by having back-to-back interceptions by Nunn and on a trick play pass by Nikolao Vaefaga. Trailing 30-14, Serra got a seven yard passing score from Nunn to Brandon Monroe (missed two-point conversion) but Martig answered with a 52-yard connection to Kyle Macauley (missed PAT). Nunn completed the scoring with an 18-yard passing score to Vaefaga (two-point conversion) but the Padres could not recover the onside kick to lose 36-28.

The Bells' past formula has always been a strong running game with an opportunistic and stout defense. Martig runs the offense efficiently and minimizes the risk for turnovers. The Bellarmine defense won the turnover battle with three interceptions and a fumble recovery. Bellarmine has another big test at home next week against Archbishop Mitty.

Serra's backfield of Nunn and Lataimua has big play capability on every play. But Nunn's three turnovers ended scoring chances and gave the Bells a short field. The Serra defense had trouble stopping Bellarmine as the Bells had close to 32 minutes in time of possession. The Padres have a trip to San Francisco to face Archbishop Riordan next.

Players of Note:

Troy Martig 6-foot-0, 175 pounds QB Bellarmine 2016: Martig manages the game well. He is not flashy with his athleticism but makes good decisions and moves north-south with the ball efficiently on his runs. He only completed 5-of-12 passes but did run for 156 yards.

Jacob Bergstrom 6-foot-3, 225 pounds LB Bellarmine 2016: Bergstrom was constantly in the backfield making key tackles against the Serra running game. At the high school level, he dominates the line with his size and height. As a college prospect, he is a solid linebacker option.

Justin Malone 6-foot-2, 210 pounds TE Bellarmine 2017: For a team that is run oriented, Bellarmine has a good target with Malone who slipped through the line for a few catches in the first half. His catches helped extend drives, as he is a good third down option with his size and speed to outmatch opposing linebackers or defensive backs.

Leki Nunn 5-foot-10, 175 pounds QB Serra 2017: Nunn is an athletic, mobile quarterback who is high risk, high reward in his playmaking. He helped move the chains but also had three turnovers. Nunn passed for 175 yards and ran for 141 yards.

Kelepi Lataimua 5-foot-8, 200 pounds RB Serra 2016: The senior is shifty and elusive for his size. He averaged nearly 10 yards a carry for 183 yards with two touchdowns.