CALABASAS — Junior Anderson Mercer may have been one of the smallest players on the field Friday, but he left his mark on every part of the game.
Mercer was key in Agoura football’s 35-21 Coastal 101 League title-clinching win over host Calabasas.
The junior showed out in all three phases, scoring on a pick-six, a 48-yard touchdown reception and nearly running back a kickoff return before being tackled after 75 yards.
“We had a great week of practice, great team dinner, and we really felt like a brotherhood this week,” Mercer said.
Agoura (9-1, 5-0) played a strong first half and nearly pitched a shutout in the second before giving up a late touchdown.
“The second half that we played, that was the biggest thing,” Agoura coach Dustin Croick said. “I think our defensive coordinator Jason Romanello did a great job with adjustments at halftime. We changed a few things up. We didn’t get pressure just because that kid can move around so much. But we had a really great week of practice, good plan, great adjustments in the second half, and you know, luckily we got out with a victory.”
The Chargers also saw a great night from junior quarterback Kris Carranza, who finished 12-for-16 with 238 yards through the air along with a trio of touchdowns.
“Kris is just a baller,” Mercer said. “He came in. We had a connection right away, and he just trusts everyone in the offense.”
Mercer made things easier for Carranza with four receptions for 141 yards and a touchdown.
“He’s up there with the statistics right now with receivers in our area,” Croick said. “Nobody’s given the look because of how small he is. But he doesn’t play as small as he is. He’s just a dude. He’s consistent and that’s the biggest thing with him. He’s super smart. He’s a consistent football player, and you see the speed. He’s one of the smartest kids I’ve ever coached.”
The quarterback also got a huge boost from senior receiver Murphy Glynn, who added six catches for 70 yards and a touchdown.
Agoura got started early with three first-half touchdowns, including a quick opening drive that featured little resistance from Calabasas (8-2, 4-1). Carranza capped off the drive as he hit freshman Emerson Andrews for a 10-yard touchdown reception, the game’s first score.
Mercer had a 39-yard catch in the opening drive but was just getting started. The junior then backed up his 75-yard kickoff return, which set up a second touchdown, a Radeen Vahidi eight-yard rushing score. A few plays later, Mercer struck again, this time with a 50-plus-yard pick-six to put Agoura up 20-7.
Calabasas quarterback Dominik Hardy wasn’t rattled following the interception. In fact, Hardy led a long drive, filled with numerous first-down conversions that ended with his second touchdown of the first half. Hardy connected with Cameron Breedenlove for a 7-yard touchdown reception to make the score 20-14 at halftime.
Hardy’s main guy all night was no surprise to anyone. Senior receiver Kingston Celifie constantly broke open, made plays in the open field and tight catches on the sidelines. The UCLA commit finished the day with nine catches for 80 yards and one touchdown.
Agoura’s pass rush proved to be too much in the trenches while the secondary blanketed Hardy’s dynamic receiving corps.
“We knew it was going to be a tough, physical game,” Croick said. “Calabasas is a really good football team. We knew it was going to take everything, and it did, it really did. Toughness tonight was the key. Physicality, all that. We ran the football really well, got a couple turnovers, which was big.”
Hardy finished the game with over 230 yards through the air and a pair of touchdown passes.
Agoura has now won eight straight games, three straight league titles and has earned the Las Virgenes Cup, its rivalry game with Calabasas, in four straight seasons.
Both teams will head into the postseason next week and find out their playoff bracket paths on Sunday.
For Agoura, winning league is becoming the standard and while the celebration will still go on for the win, Croick will aim to keep his guys level-headed with the postseason around the corner.
“It feels good, it really does,” Croick said. “I think we’ve learned in the last few years not to get too high, with everything. That’s the biggest thing is this team’s exactly where they need to be. I think this was a big win against a really tough team, so they needed that to really get ready. And that’s just football, it’s week 10. We’re banged up, but these are some tough kids. So I think we’ll be ready.”