CARLSBAD — La Costa Canyon High School football coach Sean Sovacool has raved about his 2024 football team’s camaraderie.
“This group’s chemistry, I’ve been saying it from the jump, is arguably the best I’ve ever had in my 14 years,” said Sovacool.
On a cool fall Friday night on the Mavericks’ home field, No. 4 LCC demonstrated its talent and resolve, coming from behind to upset No. 3 Mission Hills 28-27. The comeback was capped with 27 seconds to play, when wide receiver Jackson Maggiore, who was limited in practice all week, caught a 7-yard touchdown from Quinn Roth.
Will Stringfellow’s extra point provided the winning margin. The Mavericks are now 8-0 for the first time since 2011 and 3-0 in the Avocado League. In the battle for first place and playoff seeding, Mission Hills fell to 6-2, 2-1.
When the scoreboard hit 0:00, LCC’s student section, dressed in pink to recognize the fight against breast cancer, mobbed the field to celebrate with the players.
“I’m so proud of you,” Sovacool told his huddled team at midfield after the win. “So proud of these coaches. So proud of the school for showing up and showing out.”
Then he paused and hollered, “It’s a great day to be a Maverick!”
Mission Hills scored on each of its first five possessions. But the LCC defense stopped the Grizzlies’ final two drives. The last stop was the biggest, giving LCC the ball at the Mission Hills 45 with 1:06 to play, trailing 27-21.
A Roth to Maggiore gained 17. Another to Maggiore picked up three plus a personal foul for unnecessary roughness on the tackle moved the ball to the 12. Roth scrambled for five yards, then spiked the ball to stop the clock.
On third down, Maggiore ran a deep corner route and Roth dropped the ball right into his hands.
“I knew it was my time,” said Maggiore, who finished with four catches for 38 yards — three of the catches coming on the final drive. “I waited all game to make plays. I made it happen. It was awesome.”
Roth completed 15 of 22 es for 150 yards for two TDs and two interceptions.
But the Mavericks’ key player was No. 0, junior Coby Herman. “Agent Zero” finished with 135 yards rushing on nine carries, including two TDs, plus caught six es for 52 yards. His TD runs covered the short (2 yards) and the long (89 yards).
Herman’s 89-yard TD was a thing of beauty. He took a pitch from Roth, faked handing off on a reverse, turned the right corner and sprinted down the sideline, outrunning two defenders.
His thoughts when he reached the sideline and saw green turf in front of him?
“Just get to the end zone no matter what,” he said.
While LCC trailed 10-7, 13-7, 20-14 and 27-21, Herman said: “I never thought we were going to lose that game. We were tough to the end and stuck together as a team.”
La Costa Canyon overcame big games from Mission Hills QB Troy Huhn and running back Giovanni Harte. Huhn completed 19 of 22 for 224 yards. Harte gained 113 yards on 26 carries.
But in the end, the night belonged to the hosts, the Mavericks.
Of his team’s resilience, Sovacool said, “It’s real. It’s the real deal.”
La Costa Canyon 28, Mission Hills 27
Mission Hills 0 10 3 14 — 27
La Costa Canyon 7 0 7 14 — 28
LCC — Herman 2 run (Stringfellow kick)
MH — Huhn 1 run (Boyack kick)
MH — Boyack 29 FG
MH — Boyack 31 FG
LCC — Viemeister 40 from Roth (Stringfellow kick)
MH — Harte 3 run (Boyack kick)
LCC — Herman 89 run (Stringfellow kick)
MH — Fleming 4 run (Boyack kick)
LCC — Maggiore 6 from Roth (Stringfellow kick)
