The Santa Ana High football season ended November 3 with 33-27 overtime loss at Santa Monica in the opening round of the CIF-Southern Section Division 9 playoffs.

Senior Running Back Charles Hughes scored an 81-yard rushing touchdown run in the first quarter to put the Saints (7-4) up 14-0, before the Vikings (9-5) scored 14 of their own in the second. 

Hughes added another touchdown in the 4th quarter making the score 25-21 and eventually the game headed into overtime where the Vikings tallied the game-winner. 

Santa Monica’s sophomore quarterback Wyatt Brown finished with 278 passing yards and senior Caden Mccallum anchored the rushing attack with 135 yards and three touchdowns on 23 carries.

The Saints had a total of 276 total yards of offense consisting of 194 rushing yards and 82 passing yards. 

“Obviously we are all disappointed,” head coach Rory Schoonmaker said. “I am proud of our guys for fighting and forcing the game into overtime, but I think we all had higher expectations for this season in particular. That being said, we accomplished a lot this season and made some program-wide changes that we feel will be beneficial in the long run as the football program continues to grow.” 

For the season, Hughes compiled a total of 20 touchdowns and had 1051 rushing yards. 

Junior Wide Receiver  Cristian Ramos helped pace the offense with 10 touchdowns and 943 receiving yards.

The Saints ended their season with 3646 yards of offense consisting of 2024 rushing yards and 1612 passing yards, resulting in 54 touchdowns (36 rushing, 18 passing).  

The Saints had a 7-4 overall record and a 5-1 league record. They held a five-game winning streak and lost to Orange High School, forcing a three-way tie for the Orange Coast League championship.

“I feel like the season overall was a successful one, Schoonmaker added. “With any transition there is always going to be a bit of a learning period that takes place for players, coaches, and anyone associated with the program; I feel though we didn’t end where we wanted to we did accomplish a great deal this season including the teams first league championship in three years.” 

Santa Monica went on to defeat Troy and Kaiser, before falling to Rio Hondo Prep, 29-27, in the CIF-SS Div. 9 championship game.  

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