LAKE FOREST — Like a bolt out of the blue, Connor White delivered a play that stunned Aliso Niguel and set El Toro on its way to its third consecutive victory.
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As Aliso Niguel lined up to kick a 32-yard field goal, White came off the edge, blocked the kick, and returned it 70 yards to paydirt.
What could have been a one-point game was instead an 11-point game, and El Toro was on its way to a 35-10 nonleague victory over the Wolverines.
El Toro improved to 3-0, while Aliso, which has been without several of its key players, dropped to 0-3.
It was a big night for White, who also had an interception in the first quarter, and recovered a fumble at the 8 as Aliso was trying to cut into a 21-10 deficit with 42 seconds left in the third quarter.
It was the first of two non-offensive touchdowns by the Chargers.
“It was a surreal feeling,” White said of his blocked field goal and score. “Up by four, we didn’t have a big enough lead. I came off the edge as hard as I could and just blocked it, and took it to the crib. Before the kick, I had a gut feeling I was going to block it.”
The play wasn’t lost on quarterback Jaxson Algaze, a sophomore who completed 25 of 37 passes for 196 yards and two touchdowns.
“It was absolutely huge, a big sigh of relief,” said Algaze, a transfer from Crean Lutheran who replaced Wyatt Nucci, who transferred to Mira Costa. “It was unreal. It was awesome.
“It feels great that our guys trust in each other even when we’re down. We can go far with a team like this.”
Despite the loss of more than 30 seniors from last year’s team, the Chargers are starting to believe in themselves. They’ve trailed in every game this season, including by as many as 21, but are learning how to win.
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Coach Peter Lofthouse praised his defense, crediting it with a shutout against Marina, shutting out Tesoro in the second half, and shutting out Aliso in the second half. El Toro has outscored its three opponents, 111-46.
Aliso scored on its opening drive, 76 yards, which included a 52-yard pass from Aiden Sidenstecker to Andoni Galpin, who finished the drive with a seven-yard reception and a 7-0 advantage.
El Toro responded with a 69-yard drive, all through the air, with Algaza passing two yards to Matt Arroyo, who also played defensive back (and had an interception on the first drive of the second half) for the Chargers. After an exchange of interceptions, Aliso’s Asher Youderian kicked a 37-yard field goal for a 10-7 lead.
El Toro answered, driving 71 yards culminating in Ethan Rodriguez’s two-yard run for a 14-10 advantage.
On the ensuing series, Aliso drove from its 20 to the ET 15 and lined up for a 32-yard field goal. But then White made his play with 52 seconds left in the half to give the Chargers a 21-7 lead.
White’s fumble recovery at the end of the third quarter protected hat score. El Toro turned the possession into a touchdown a 10-yard pass from Algaze to Henry Maffetore for a 28-10 margin.
The defense added to the margin with 3:05 remaining when Kingston Hogai returned an interception 42 yards for a touchdown.
“The biggest thing I tell all the players every game, just play hard for four quarters,” Lofthouse said. “You’re going to have moments when things go good and things go bad, but just play through the mistakes. As long as you’re playing hard and executing to the best of your ability, good things are going to happen.”
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So far, so good.