Disappointed Stars hold on to beat Calvary Chapel

Agassi Prep football coach Colt Goodman had just watched his team stay undefeated, triple its win total from last season and go to 2-0 in the Class 2A Southern League.

But a 24-20 win Saturday over Calvary Chapel at Rancho High left a sense of disappointment on the Stars’ sideline. Agassi Prep lost four fumbles, went scoreless in the second half and nearly blew a 24-8 halftime lead.

“A lot of them didn’t even look like they won this game today, and in some ways that’s a good thing,” Goodman said. “We’re out for the end result right now, and that’s to get to the playoffs.”

DeVonn Porter carried 17 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Stars (3-0, 2-0). He scored on runs of 3 and 12 yards in the first half.

All but 28 of Agassi Prep’s 308 yards came on the ground. Keveon Glenn added 69 yards and a TD on 11 attempts, and Terrell Kemp carried three times for 60 yards.

Goodman called the victory a “disappointing win” because of the four turnovers.

“If we didn’t fumble the ball, I think that scoreboard shows a different score,” Goodman said. “We like to take the time off the clock.

“When we’re giving up the ball to keep a good football team like Calvary in the game, we’re lucky to come out of this one with a win.”

Cody Taylor threw for 167 yards and one TD for Calvary Chapel (0-3, 0-2). Justin Cox carried 15 times for 58 yards and one TD.

The Lions pulled within 24-20 on Taylor’s 63-yard scoring strike to Denzel Morris with 3:13 remaining, but couldn’t score on their final possession.

“We came out in that first half and were just flat,” Calvary Chapel coach Cliff Frazier said. “We really didn’t execute well, didn’t tackle well.

“We wanted to establish the pace of the game to start off with, and we kind of threw the ball into their court and they set the pace.”

The Lions lost for the second time this season by seven or fewer points.

“Every week I believe we’re going to break through,” Frazier said. “We make a lot of mistakes early on, and that’s the thing that hurts us.”