In their home opener against the Castaic Coyotes, the Calabasas Coyotes cruised to a victory in front of a boisterous student section. Junior Kayne Miller led the charge with 115 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns, propelling Calabasas to a 48-12 victory over their Coyote counterparts.
Calabasas’ defense maintained its momentum from last week’s dominant performance against Oxnard. Senior safety Matt Baum secured an interception on the game’s first drive, a pivotal moment for the team and a defining play for Baum.
“It felt great. All the hard work and grinding to get up the depth chart is finally paying off,” said Baum. “Getting the interception set the tone that we weren’t there to play games. We were there to dominate.”
With the Calabasas offense taking over at the Castaic 37-yard line, a deep pass to senior Dylan Hein allowed the Coyotes to set up shop in the red zone. Two plays later, Miller barrelled into the endzone for his first touchdown of the night. Castaic responded with a 14-play drive capped off by a 3-yard rushing touchdown from quarterback Jayden Broderick. However, it was all Calabasas from there as they responded with three consecutive touchdown drives to lead 28-6 at halftime.
On the third quarter’s first drive, Calabasas experienced their only game slip-up when Miller fumbled after a short catch. Castaic was unable to capitalize on the turnover, and Miller redeemed himself with a 41-yard touchdown run on the very next drive. Later in the quarter, sophomore Dom Hardy completed his longest pass of the season with an 82-yard strike to his brother, junior wide receiver Dezmyn. Calabasas finished their offensive onslaught with a 68-yard rushing touchdown from sophomore running back Kingston Celifie.
Calabasas’ big win showcased a contrasting strategy to last week’s nail-biter against Oxnard, where they threw the ball 37 times. This week, an efficient Dom Hardy completed 12-15 passes for 188 yards, with 103 of them to his older brother Dezmyn. With senior Max Medawar sidelined for the year due to a wrist fracture, Calabasas turned to senior tight end Greg Ellis to fill the gap. Ellis seized the opportunity, making key contributions with 31 yards on 2 catches and providing solid blocking in the run and pass game.
On the ground, Calabasas showcased a more dynamic attack, rushing 26 times for 243 yards and 6 touchdowns. The Coyotes managed 188 more rushing yards this week than their 27 attempts in week one. The foundation of this success was an experienced and cohesive offensive line, which has grown considerably from last season. Offensive coordinator Phil Magbuana highlighted the impact of this development.
“Last year, we had an O-line with only 1-2 players having varsity experience. This year, we have seven linemen that have started on varsity,” said Magbuana. “With the experience of the offensive line and the dedication of our young skill group to learning, we are able to be more intentional with our adjustments throughout the game week than we have in the past.”
Calabasas is 2-0 for the first time since the 2019 season. On tomorrow, September 6, they’ll look to build a winning streak against Kennedy High School at home again.
