Two-way star Jaxson Rex and the San Clemente Excessive protection earned a shutout victory towards Tustin Excessive this previous Friday, Aug. 21, successful their dwelling opener, 17-0, at a packed Thalassa Stadium. The BYU commit scored each touchdowns for the Tritons, together with a 95-yard pick-six that helped set the tone early.
The Tritons improved to 2-0 to start the 2026 season, carrying momentum from their CIF-SS Division 2 title-game look final season. San Clemente opened the season by taking good care of enterprise in Hawaii, routing Kapa’a Excessive, 23-8. After a fast turnaround, the Tritons avenged a 30-17 loss to the Tillers of their 2025 season opener following a powerful week of follow.
One other view of Jaxson Rex on his 95-yard pick-six to begin the Tritons on their strategy to victory on Friday, Aug. 21. The Tritons are off this week earlier than resuming play on Sept. 4 at Chaparral Excessive. Photograph: Alan Gibby, for San Clemente Occasions
“We got here out final 12 months, first sport, (and) we didn’t actually know what to anticipate,” Rex stated after their win over Tustin. “This 12 months, we form of knew what to anticipate, and we did our job.”
Tritons head coach Jaime Ortiz, who’s led this system since 2012, was apprehensive about how his group would reply following the journey to Kauai, however he stated his group had “most likely top-of-the-line weeks of follow we’ve had since I’ve been right here.”
“The children have been dialed in on Monday,” Ortiz instructed the San Clemente Occasions after the sport. “We had the opening of college on Tuesday (Aug. 18), they usually have been simply targeted. We’ve had a very good week, and the best way they performed tonight is a mirrored image of that.”
Rex echoed these sentiments. “We had an excellent week of follow as a result of everybody was simply working. Nobody was slacking off,” he stated. “They knew this group was aggressive they usually have been good, in order that’s why all of us got here collectively and introduced it out.”
Junior linebacker Gunnor Bachhuber (51), proven pressuring Tustin’s quarterback, led a protection that shut down and shut out Tustin’s high-scoring offense within the Tritons’ dwelling opener on Friday, Aug. 21. Bachhuber leads the Tritons with 14 tackles by two video games. Photograph: Alan Gibby, for San Clemente Occasions
The Tritons have been ready for the powerful matchup, however an early miscue gave the ball to the Tillers when Tustin senior defensive lineman Jeremiah Williams, who’s additionally a BYU commit, stripped the ball away from senior operating again Darion Ranuga.
Ranuga is filling in for Colin Granite, who suffered a season-ending knee harm in Kauai on his first carry that his household revealed was a ruptured patellar tendon and tibial avulsion fracture.
Following the turnover, senior cornerback Jack Dunbar intercepted Ayden Edwards’ go in the long run zone on 4th-and-goal from the 8-yard line. Moments later, junior quarterback Preston Beck was intercepted by senior security Logan Allen.
With the Tillers threatening once more deep in SC territory, Rex responded with a big-time play by leaping a route on an Edwards go within the flat that was meant for Taven Epps. The go was deflected, Rex grabbed it and was off to the races.
“I simply noticed it tip up — and I used to be gone,” Rex stated, saying there “was a whole lot of site visitors” on the line when he adopted Epps rolling into house and “simply jumped it” because the ball arrived. “It was vast open … I simply noticed inexperienced grass.”
Ninety-five yards later, Rex reached the tip zone untouched on a pick-six for a 7-0 lead on which he was clocked at 21.3 mph in line with SCHS’ GPS tracker date.
The Tritons by no means seemed again. Junior kicker Ethan Miller added a 28-yard subject purpose simply earlier than halftime to provide the Tritons a 10-0 benefit.
Tritons security Jaxson Rex heads upfield on a 95-yard interception return for a landing that broke a scoreless tie and offered the impetus for San Clemente Excessive’s 17-0 win over Tustin Excessive throughout their dwelling opener on Friday, Aug. 21. Photograph: Alan Gibby, for San Clemente Occasions
To open the second half, Tustin mishandled the kickoff, permitting the rolling ball to stay stay. The Tritons recovered contained in the 10-yard line, and one play later, Rex took a handoff for a 6-yard dashing landing, extending San Clemente’s result in 17-0 — the rating that stood up.
“He was everywhere on each side of the ball and performed actually, very well for us,” Ortiz stated of Rex’s impression, declaring that Rex is a four-year varsity participant who earned all-county and all-CIF honors final season. “There’s a motive why BYU is on him,” Ortiz added.
Seems, BYU must wait longer for Rex, because the SCHS senior realized final week that he’ll be starting a two-year LDS mission in Sao Paulo, Brazil, in September earlier than honoring his faculty dedication.
The Tritons held a gifted Tustin squad scoreless regardless of the Tillers returning their key offensive contributors from a group that averaged 31 factors per sport final season. Rex described their matchup towards the Tillers as “hard-nosed soccer.”
“There’s some stuff we gotta work on nonetheless, however I assumed the youngsters performed fairly properly as a group,” Ortiz stated about his group’s efficiency. “Defensively, we stepped up once we needed to. We gotta do a greater job controlling turnovers.”
The Tritons’ protection was the catalyst of their second victory, because the offense struggled to maneuver the ball. Beck was held to 70 passing yards, whereas Ranuga discovered some success on the bottom with 70 yards on 16 carries.
San Clemente’s offense turned the ball over 4 instances: two interceptions and two fumbles. Ortiz was not happy with these unfavorable performs, saying they need to “do a greater job controlling the soccer.”
“Too many turnovers, and fortunately they didn’t harm us tonight, however when you might have three to 4 turnovers in a sport, it’s laborious to win,” he stated. “I feel our coaches and gamers know that, and that’s stuff we’ve set to work on over the bye week.”
Up Subsequent for Tritons: San Clemente will take pleasure in per week off and return to motion on Friday, Sept. 4, after they journey to Chaparral Excessive in Temecula to face the Pumas, who misplaced their season opener, 55-17, towards a troublesome Mission Viejo Excessive. Ortiz stated their upcoming matchup will “be a troublesome sport.”
The Pumas return Eli Woodard, who had 1,070 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns final season. The College of Miami commit hauled in six passes for 115 yards and a landing from new sophomore quarterback Caden Sterba in Chaparral’s season opener.