By Curtis Zupke, Correspondent
Caleb Wilson completed 8 of 15 passes for 142 yards and ran for a touchdown, and Khalil Tate ran for 109 yards and a touchdown as Serra defeated visiting Lakewood, 24-6, in a nonleague game. Senior running back Malik Roberson ran for 43 yards and a touchdown.
It was Roberson’s first game since an ACL injury forced him to miss last season. With former USC running back Sam Cunningham in attendance, most of Roberson’s carries were hard-nosed runs up the middle, including three straight carries on one scoring drive.
Wilson and Tate alternated a quarterback, sometimes on every play, and eventually got the Cavaliers (1-0) offense going after a first quarter that saw Lakewood (0-1) take a 6-0 lead.
Tate and Wilson, who are replacing three-year starter Jalen Greene, each led Serra on scoring drives in the first half. Tate got the opening-night crowd going with a 6-yard touchdown run in which he hurdled a defender and landed in the end zone.
The Cavaliers forced Lakewood to punt on the next possession, and Wilson directed a five-play, 1:25 minute drive capped by Roberson’s 3-yard run up the middle for a 14-6 lead. The score was set up with a terrific 24-yard reception by Deontay Burnett, who finished with five catches for 54 yards.
Wilson made it 24-6 on a 17-yard run down the left side on fourth-and-11, one of two fourth-down conversions that Serra made on the drive. Wilson also rushed for 40 yards on six carries.
The game was delayed for 20 minutes because of an injury to Lakewood’s Jeremiah Paulo, who was taken off the field in an ambulance. Paulo gave the thumbs up to the crowd as he was carted off.
Both teams muddled through a three-hour game in which they combined for 40 penalties.