WEEK 11 RECAP: Santiago Shows Up And Slings It
CORONA – The most impressive thing about Elsinore-Santiago varsity football game on Friday, Nov. 6, 2026, was the connection between senior quarterback Jake Wilson and senior receiver Cameron Ward.
Wilson found Ward six times on Santiago’s first two drives and for both of the Sharks’ first two touchdowns. Ward lined up wide right and was running short routes, in the flat, inseams, or button hooks and Elsinore’s defensive backs refused to press until it was too late. Ward caught quick passes and turned up field even faster. He had seven receptions for 173 yards AT HALFTIME. With a 21-7 lead, Santiago did not need to do much more than manage the clock in the second half to earn the victory, the Sharks’ first this decade.
Randy Kirschman: “Tonight was a different story of frustration. We didn’t play very good football. We didn’t block well and we didn’t tackle well, and we kind of had to become one-dimensional. We fell behind and we had to do a lot of things that we’re not the best at, it’s not our forte, and credit to them. They were able to make us one-dimensional. They got the lead, and it was a different kind of frustration. It wasn’t the critical errors (five turnovers vs. Santiago in Week 5) but it was the lack of execution and playing fundamental football. (Santiago) plays a brand were the normally don’t beat themselves and that’s a credit to them. With our system and our scheme, we’re looking for certain things, and they were stacking the box and making us throw. We just couldn’t be proficient enough, and when you get behind too much then you start to chase and it forces you to play outside of what you want to do.”
Scott Morrison: “We needed guys to make plays at Carter (Ward) stepped up big. He made some really big catches and Jake (Wilson) is putting the ball in the right spots. We still have a lot of things we can do better but it’s really nice to have things to do better after that outcome. It’s about our guys in the end. These guys set out to change the narrative 2 years ago. Last year’s group, they worked really hard, but I think they got fatigued. The met a goal of making the playoffs and they were satisfied with that to some extent. This group has said that that’s not going to be good enough, and we don’t know how far this is going to take us, but they certainly have risen to that challenge. The bottom line is you get 10 opportunities and our guys know that, and whatever happens with those 10, you hope it’s good enough to get an 11th (game). So, when we got the draw on Sunday (Nov. 1), the guys were excited about having another opportunity. Our guys want to make plays, and I think if we put them in position to make plays then they’re going to do that enough to give us a chance.”
Elsinore – 0 – 7 – 9 – 7 — 14
Santiago – 14 – 7 – 10 – 0 — 31
First quarter
S – Ward 3 pass from Wilson (Alkire kick), 8:44
S – Ward 57 pass from Ward (Alkire kick), 2:47
Second quarter
S – Hughes 14 pass from Wilson (Alkire kick), 6:46
E – Shorter 73 pass from Prior (Herrera kick), 5:32
Third quarter
S – Zimolzak 6 pass from Wilson (Alkire kick), 8:32
S – Alkire 31 FG, 0:23
Fourth quarter
E – Stankevich 1 run (Herrera kick), 3:38
Team statistics
Total plays – Elsinore 64; Santiago 58.
First downs – Elsinore 12; Santiago 13.
Penalties – Elsinore 7-65; Santiago 8-93.
Turnovers – Elsinore 2; Santiago 2.
Individual statistics
Rushing – Elsinore: Hernandez 15-103, Stankevich 11-51, Nededog 3-7, Prior 9-5; Santiago: Harvey 17-60, Wilson 13-28, Hughes 3-0.
Passing – Elsinore: Prior 4-22-1-76; Santiago: Wilson 18-23-0-277.
Receiving – Elsinore: Shorter 1-73, Hernandez 3-3; Santiago: Ward 8-176, Zimolzak 5-57, Hughes 4-42, Gonzales 1-2.
Interceptions – Elsinore: None; Santiago: Hughes 1-14.
