The Corona del Mar Sea Kings continue an impressive stretch of football, winning a defensive battle against San Clemente High School 7-3 on Friday.

The anticipation for this matchup was real. CdM came into town following three absolute blowouts to start the season, but knew that the Tritons were going to be tough competition.

“Every game [the competition] keeps getting better and better,” CdM senior defensive lineman Dylan Wood said. “We just have to keep moving forward, go to practice, and come together.”

The Sea Kings did just that tonight, playing air-tight on defense— only allowing a meager 105 passing yards to the Tritons.

Despite three drops over the course of the game, senior wide receiver John Tipton ended up making the difference, catching the lone touchdown of the game in the corner of the San Clemente endzone with 3:59 left in the first quarter. The 4-yard TD pass was courtesy of junior quarterback David Rasor, who now has 15 total TDs through four games this season.

It was really all defense from that point on, but there were a total of nine penalties from San Clemente, including a holding call that reversed what would have been the game-tying touchdown in the third quarter. Instead, the Tritons were forced to kick a 31-yard field goal, which they settled for despite starting the drive on the Sea Kings’ 33 yard-line after a fumble from the hands of CdM junior running back Evan Sanders.

A blocked field goal by CdM senior cornerback Jake Simkins was a huge momentum switch in the game, as the Tritons were in the red zone for four plays in that second quarter drive.

Other defensive highlights included a pass deflection and QB pressure from senior linebacker Nathan Bloom, a tackle for loss by senior DL Gavin Scott, and two solo tackles by junior LB Kaulin Post.

In the fourth quarter, the Sea Kings showed unprecedented grit to close the game. Senior DL Dylan Wood came up with a huge sack to stall San Clemente’s second-to-last drive, and on offense, Rasor hammered the nail in the coffin with a 41-yard bomb to senior WR Max Lane, giving CdM a fresh set of downs and the necessary time off to go into victory formation.

The Sea Kings improved to 4-0 on the season, and will play at winless San Juan Hills next Friday, Sept. 17 at 7 p.m.