UPLAND — In football, players often need to have a short memory to have success on the field.
Mission Viejo’s Kadin Semonza shook off an early interception to throw for 305 yards and four touchdowns. And the No. 5 state-ranked Diablos also tightened things up on defense after allowing a touchdown on the third play of the game Saturday evening and ultimately cruised to a 38-14 nonleague victory over Upland.
Upland (0-1) landed a punch early, as Julian Dedman broke free for a 68-yard touchdown run a little over a minute into the game. The defense came up big, too, as Alphonso Conley intercepted a pass by Semonza.
Mission Viejo (2-0) got an unusual combination to tie the score in the first quarter. The Diablos scored twice on safeties — both the results of bad snaps by Upland — and a 45-yard field goal from Ryan Ewing.
Semonza connected with Joshua Welles for a 22-yard touchdown late in the first quarter to help give the Diablos a 14-7 lead. That duo hooked up again in the second quarter for a 39-yard touchdown, and Semonza added a 21-yard touchdown pass to Mikey Matthews late in the half to extend Mission Viejo’s lead to 28-7.
Upland benefited from three Mission Viejo penalties to score just before halftime. Freshman Rahim Wright II threw the first touchdown of his career, a 6-yard toss to Grant Cheney, with 23 seconds on the clock.
Oregon-bound linebacker Jonathan Flowe made some big plays for Upland’s defense during the third quarter, including a strip sack that was recovered by Vincent Macaluso. Wright completed a pass to wide receiver Michael Burnett-Foster on the next snap, but the long gain was brought back because of a holding penalty.
Upland turned the ball over on downs, and Semonza all but sealed the victory for Mission Viejo when he connected with Mavin Anderson for a 38-yard touchdown pass with 10:40 remaining in the fourth quarter.
Semonza completed 20 of 31 passes and connected on 12 straight attempts at one point in the second half.
“He played really well, and the sky is the limit for that kid,” Mission Viejo coach Chad Johnson said.
Semonza’s timeline to be the starter was pushed up when Peter Costelli decided to enroll early at Utah. Semonza, a sophomore, said he welcomes the pressure that comes with being a Mission Viejo quarterback.
“It motivates me and makes me play harder,” Semonza said. “I’m just trying to be the best player I can.”
Matthews caught 12 passes for 133 yards, and Welles finished with five catches for 126 for the Diablos. Jacquez Robertson led Mission Viejo ground attack, rushing for 110 yards on 14 carries.
Upland coach Darryl Thomas said he knew Saturday evening’s challenge would a difficult one, especially after the team’s original opener was canceled after COVID-19 testing protocols at Los Angeles Loyola.
“(Mission Viejo) is No. 5 in the state for a reason,” Thomas said. “It certainly would have helped to have a game under our belt. We were ready to go, so it was heartbreaking. We had a couple of shots but couldn’t punch it in. We are young, and we are going to learn from this and get better with each game.”
Dedman rushed for 102 yards on 14 carries to lead the offensive effort for Upland.
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