ORANGE — Carter Christie will have a good reason to stay up at the Homecoming dance this weekend.
Christie set school records by rushing for 384 yards and six touchdowns to lead the Villa Park football team to a 56-40 victory against Canyon on Friday night.
Villa Park running back Carter Christie scores a touchdown against Canyon in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon wide receiver Kayvon Monfared is unable to throw the ball while trying to catch a touchdown pass against Villa Park in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon wide receiver Kayvon Monfared is unable to catch the pass when Villa Park safety Jack Dragovich is called for pass interference at a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday October 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon running back Kyle Krause is brought down by Villa Park safety Mark Meagher in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer )
Canyon running back Kyle Krause is chased by Villa Park safety Nate Lewis in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer )
Villa Park running back Carson Ridge drags Canyon defender Nathaniel Sauvageau across the goal line to score in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. ( Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon Fox wide receiver Haugen is brought down behind the line of scrimmage by Villa Park in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Villa Park running back Carter Christie jumps over Canyon defenders for a big win in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer )
Villa Park running back Carter Christie is lifted by Evan Uriostegui after scoring a touchdown against Canyon in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, photographer collaborator)
Villa Park running back Carter Christie breaks away from Canyon defenders in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Canyon wide receiver Colin Chu is brought down after a win by Villa Park linebacker Carter Christie in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, contributing photographer)
Canyon cheerleaders, from left, Dylan Blackburn, Ollivia Nguyen and Jill Harrington pose for a selfie before Friday night’s game with Villa Park at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, contributing photographer)
Villa Park fans hold up a large face of one of the players during a non-league football game against Canyon at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
Members of the Villa Park band dance after their team scored a touchdown against Canyon in a non-league football game at El Modena High School in Orange on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022. (Sam Gangwer, Contributing Photographer)
He also played defensive back for the Spartans, fending off 44 pass attempts from Canyon quarterback Christian Lundsberg, who completed 26 for 495 yards and four touchdowns.
“Heavy lifting, though it was fun,” said Christie, a junior. “Our team worked hard and it paid off, so that’s what happens. She recovered and finished the job.”
Christie broke the previous school record of 305 rushing yards set by Nick Privitelli against Katella in 2011. Three former Spartans shared the previous touchdown record of five.
Christie broke the record with a 33-yard touchdown run in the third quarter that put the Spartans up 42-28.
“Carter is a special player,” said Villa Park coach Dusan Ancich. “That guy will never get out. He’s just one of those kids that’s built differently.”
Lundsberg threw touchdown passes of 60, 58 and 82 yards in the third quarter to keep the Comanches (6-1) in hot pursuit, but there was no stopping Christie and the rest of the running game.
“That was our theme going into the game,” Ancich said. “Run the ball.”
Villa Park (3-4) marched down the field on the opening drive of the game and took a 7-0 lead on a 3-yard touchdown run by Carson Ridge.
Kyle Krause scored on a 3-yard run for Canyon to tie the score 7-7, but Christie responded with a 21-yard touchdown run to put the Spartans ahead 14-7 with 2:55 left in the first quarter.
Christie added a 4-yard touchdown run in the second quarter to give the Spartans a 21-7 halftime lead.
Villa Park sophomore defensive back Jack Dragovich had an interception at the Spartans’ 1-yard line, another in the end zone and also knocked down a fourth-down pass in the first half.
However, Lundsberg found several wide receivers in the third quarter.
He hit Kayvon Monfared for a 60-yard touchdown that cut the deficit to 28-14 with 9:26 remaining, but Christie responded with his third touchdown of the game on a 2-yard run.
Lundsberg then hit Fox Haugen for a 58-yard touchdown run to make it 35-21, but Christie answered again with a 33-yard touchdown run.
Monfared then brought in an 82-yard touchdown pass to get within two touchdowns again, but Christie scored from 34 yards to make it 49-28.
Haugen caught 11 passes for 147 yards and two touchdowns, and Monfared caught six passes for 212 yards and two touchdowns.
Ancich was happy with the way the Spartans responded after losing 28-13 to Modena last week.
“We had a good week of practice,” Ancich said. “It was our best week as a staff and team preparation, and it’s nice to do it so late in the year. So we’re going up, we’re not stalling. That was the biggest thing we took away from this game.”
