Prep Football: SFC stuns #10 Helix 38-6 in Season Opener

Photo Credit: Nicole Noel Photography

Solana Beach, CA - The Santa Fe Christian Eagles (1-0) rolled to a commanding 38-6 victory over the No. 10 Helix Highlanders (0-1), fueled by a relentless offense and a stifling defense. The Eagles struck first early in the opening quarter when Brady Berg punched in the opening touchdown, giving SFC an early 7-0 lead. 

Berg wasn't done there. Early in the second quarter, quarterback Dax Labrum found Berg on a perfectly executed touchdown strike through the air, extending the lead to 14-0. That connection showcased the dual-threat nature of Santa Fe Christian's attack—Berg was just as dangerous catching passes out of the backfield as he was running between the tackles. 

Helix struggled to move the chains all afternoon, turning the ball over on downs six times in the first half, which allowed Santa Fe Christian to maintain constant pressure and control the tempo from the very beginning. Senior kicker Chris Lee added a field goal just before halftime, sending the teams to the break with SFC ahead 17-0.

The third quarter belonged to Berg once again. Just over seven minutes into the second half, he scored his third touchdown of the day—another rushing score—to push the lead to 24-0. Helix finally answered with a rushing touchdown of their own, but a missed PAT kept the score at 24-6, and any hope of a comeback was quickly extinguished. Santa Fe Christian responded with two more passing touchdowns from Labrum (one to Chase Wooley and another to Kylan Brunn), along with a successful PAT, stretching the margin to 38-6 by the midway point of the fourth quarter.

Defensively, Santa Fe Christian was equally dominant. They recovered a fumble, intercepted a Helix pass late in the game, and repeatedly forced Helix into turnovers on downs, keeping the Highlanders' offense out of sync all night. Berg's three-touchdown performance—two on the ground and one through the air—was the clear catalyst, while Labrum's precision passing kept the chains moving and the scoreboard ticking. In the end, the defending Division II section champions delivered a complete, balanced, and utterly convincing performance, kicking off their season with a statement win that left no doubt.