While Redondo was celebrating Teacher Appreciation Night, it was Upland’s football team that taught the Sea Hawks a lesson in a 43-0 romp on Friday.
Redondo only trailed 9-0 at the end of the first quarter after a bad snap on a punt attempt resulted in a safety and blown coverage allowed Upland’s Gabe Delgadillo to score on a 49-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Hilinski.
The Sea Hawk defense kept the game close, forcing the Highlanders into many third-down situations before Upland took control when Joseph Ayala scored on a 12-yard pass play and Hilinski added a 1-yard touchdown run with six seconds left in the first half for a 23-0 lead.
“Redondo is a good team,” Hilinksi said. “They are a very physical team. Don’t take anything away from them. We played well but I think their defense is very strong. We had a few three and outs but we got things figured out and had a big second half.”
The second half was all Upland led by Washington State-bound Hilinski. The 6-foot-2, 190-pound senior praised his teammates, particularly running back Nathan Tilford, who scored twice in the game.
“Nathan is one of the best running backs I’ve ever seen,” Hilinksi said. “We’ve got some great skill players, a great offensive line and great running backs.” Hilinksi said. “We can run a hurry-up offense or jumbo personnel which keeps teams off balance.”
Ayala, a second-year starter at wide receiver, said he had one of his better games despite having some receptions nullified by penalties.
“I just tried to catch the ball and get up field,” Ayala said. “Tyler is the best high school quarterbacks I’ve ever seen. It was a great crowd and there was a lot adrenaline out there.”
The win marked the second straight shutout for Upland who routed Knight 71-0 in its season opener.
“I think we have a pretty good team but I didn’t like all the penalties we had so we have to clean that up,” Upland head coach Tim Salter said. “Tyler understands the offense and is a gutsy player, a great thrower and obviously a great runner. He led the entire CIF Southern Section in quarterback efficiency rating last year.”
Upland entered the game ranked No. 2 in the West Valley Division while Redondo held the No. 10 spot in the Western Division. Upland will host Tesoro, the eight-ranked team in the West Valley Division, in a 7:30 p.m. contest on Friday.
“Upland was definitely a very solid and talented team as advertised,” Redondo head coach Matt Ballard stated. “Although we had too many mental mistakes and our offense was ineffective, our boys played hard and fought all night. We schedule top teams like Upland in our pre-season for reasons just like this, to expose our weaknesses which forces us to step up our play, and our coaching.”
Senior fullback Michael Navarro was named Redondo’s Offensive Player of the Game and junior defensive back Jerone “JJ” Jackson was selected as the Defensive Player of the Game.
Senior punter Colin Castillo earned Special Teams Player of the Game honors and junior wide receiver Kaelin Humphrey was voted Scout “Eager Beaver” Player of the Week by the coaching staff.
Redondo (0-2) will seek its first win of the season when the Sea Hawks travel to Antelope Valley (1-0) on Friday to face the Antelopes, a 41-6 winner over host Boron 41-6.
