Beckman senior running back Makhi Czaykowski slips away from Fullerton linebacker Evan Tellez-Soria for gain during the second quarter of the CIF Division 8 quarterfinal at Northrup Field in Tustin. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
Not even a driving rainstorm could stop senior Beckman running back Makhi Czaykowski as he led the Patriots to a convincing 30-13 victory over Fullerton in a quarterfinal CIF Division 8 playoff game Friday night at Tustin.
A steady rain fell during the game and drenched the field causing slippery conditions but only one turnover was committed in the game.
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Beckman advances to the semifinals next Friday and will face Palm Desert, who defeated Patriot High on Friday at Tustin. The Patriots win marks the second time Beckman has defeated the Indians this season. Beckman also won its eighth consecutive game and is going to the semifinals for the first time since 2011.
Czaykowski was shocked when informed that he rushed for over 200 yards.
“What?, I can’t believe it. It’s the first time I’ve ever done that,” said Czaykowski, who carried the ball 25 times for 208 yards and scored two touchdowns. “It’s an incredible win. Give credit to our O-line, they executed. We knew it would come down to who played better in the rain and we blew them away.”
On its first possession, Beckman moved down the field and Czaykowski capped the drive when he raced in for a touchdown from five yards. The Patriots (9-3) missed the PAT and led 6-0 with 5:55 to play in the opening quarter.
Beckman upped its lead to 13-0 early in the second quarter after quarterback Noah Nam tossed a 32-yard TD pass to Sawyer Nickelson. Late in the quarter, the Indians (9-3) cut the lead to 13-7 when Sergio Andrade threw a 15-yard TD pass to Luke Viramontes in the corner of the end zone. However, the Patriots extended its lead to 16-7 on a 25-yard Aiden Wimberly field goal just before halftime.
Beckman took the second-half kickoff and marched 52 yards in eight plays to score and take a 23-7 lead. Nam threw a six-yard TD pass to Zak Hazboun to cap the drive. The Patriots defense, led by Skyeler Knight, Nathan Garcia, and Nathan Tuttle, foiled two Indians drives in the red zone, forced a turnover, and made it difficult for Fullerton.
“We focused as a team and made it happen as a team,” said Knight, a junior defensive lineman. “We’re on a mission.”
In the final minute of the third quarter, Andrade threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Evan Tellez-Soria to trim the lead to 23-13. However, the Patriots immediately countered with a long drive to start the fourth quarter that ended with Czaykowski scoring on a three-yard run to give the Patriots a 30-13 lead.
“It’s time for us to go to the semifinals after getting bounced in the quarterfinals two years in a row,” said running back Aidan Tran, who rushed for 70 of Beckman’s 280 yards on the ground.
“We knew we couldn’t stop Czaykowski but we were hoping to contain him,” said Fullerton Coach Pete Karavedas. “We tried to cut down the perimeter but then he went into the interior, and we kept playing cat and mouse and couldn’t stop him. Give Beckman credit, they are a very good team.”
Czaykowski has rushed for 1,379 yards this season and scored 15 touchdowns and has caught eight more TD passes. He has accounted for over 2,000 yards of offense this season.
Patriots Coach Marcello Giuliano was extremely pleased with the win.
“Around 2021 and 2022 we were losing, and people were getting restless,” said Giuliano, who is his 11th season as Beckman’s head coach. “But these kids and coaches believed in the system and worked hard and bought into the program. They focused and stayed motivated and now we’re going to the semifinals.”
The Indians rushed for 150 yards, led by Hudson Haiduc who ran for 60 yards on 10 carries.
Notes:
—Rebounding from a 0-10 2024 campaign, the No. 4 seeded Fullerton reached the playoffs for the first time since 2019 and defeated La Quinta in the opening round of the playoffs last week.
—Beckman coach Marcello Giuliano said the raining conditions reminded him of a playoff game when he was an assistant at Irvine and he also recalled a rainy game the Patriots played against Calvary Chapel a few seasons ago.
–Fullerton coach Peter Karavedas said Friday’s raining conditions reminded him of when Sunny Hills defeated Santa Barbara in the championship game, 24-21, in 2019. “It never stopped raining the whole game,” Karavedas said.
“The first game against Beckman this season was a turning point of our season,” said Karavedas. “All of us, coaches and players, had to change all our strategies. I love all these kids. They trained hard and never quit. We have a great junior class and we’re going to be back.”
—“It’s been an incredible season for us,” said Fullerton defensive line coach Rob Ryan. “We had great leadership and after going winless last season these kids bought into a new culture and we’re building something special here.”
—The Beckman band and cheerleaders and the Fullerton cheerleaders continued to root their teams on despite a rainstorm that lasted throughout the game.
—-The stands were filled with pop up tents during the game as fans took shelter from the rain.
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