MURRIETA — Senior Night can be a challenging and sometimes problematic event for high school football teams.

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King’s quarterback Colton Zeen (18) gets sacked by Murrieta Mesa’s Brett Rawls (11) during a game against King at Murrieta Mesa High School in Murrieta on Friday, Oct. 24, 2025. (Photo by Nick Koon, Contributing Photographer)

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Murrieta Mesa celebrated its senior class before Friday night’s Big West Conference-South Division showdown against King. The Rams ended their warmup session 30 minutes before kickoff and then players lined up with their family on the sidelines.

And it took a while to get back into game mode. Murrieta Mesa faced a double-digit deficit during the first half, but the Rams recovered, scored 37 unanswered points and ultimately cruised to a 51-24 victory to clinch at least a share of the league title.

“It took us a minute,” Murrieta Mesa coach Oscar McBride said about the come-from-behind win. “It’s Senior Night, emotions are running a little high…. We didn’t panic. We just needed to settle in, and once that happened we really executed very well.”

King (6-3 overall, 3-1 in league) grabbed a 17-0 advantage, in large part to the playmaking skills of quarterback Colton Zeen.

Zeen scrambled for several long runs to move the chains, and he tossed touchdown passes to Mark Cadena (27 yards) and Drayton Fitzpatrick (25 yards). Samuel Stewart hit a 40-yard field goal to give the Wolves a 3-0 lead 5 minutes into the game.

Murrieta Mesa (6-3, 4-0) failed to move the ball past midfield on its first two possessions of the game. The Rams desperately needed a spark, and Daniel Page was the answer. Page, a receiver by trade, frequently lined up behind center in the Wildcat formation and his 47-yard carry set up Mesa’s first touchdown, a 17-yard pass from Coleman Jones to Kian Hendricks.

Page finished the evening with a game-high 117 yards on 10 carries.

“We put that in this week,” McBride said of the Wildcat scheme. “You wouldn’t know he’s a receiver with how he ran tonight.”

Jones scored on a 1-yard sneak to cut the deficit to 17-14, but King quickly answered with Ben Major’s 75-yard scoring run.

Murrieta Mesa took possession at midfield with 40 seconds remaining in the first half. Jones completed 4 of 6 passes for a combined 51 yards, including a 28-yard pass to Hendricks in the corner of the end zone with 14 seconds left on the clock.

A miscue on a kickoff return left Mesa starting on its own 2 to begin the second half. Page moved the chains with three runs, and two plays later, Daniel Ritchie caught a ball from Jones, broke two tackles and turned the play into a 72-yard touchdown.

“It’s always a battle,” said Ritchie, who racked up 187 yards from scrimmage Friday night. “We wanted to come out strong, but that didn’t happen. We finally got things turned around, and everyone was contributing…. It comes down to leadership.”

Mesa’s defense and offensive line dominated the rest of the way.

King gained only 39 yards in the second half. Mesa finished the evening with 551 yards, including 351 yards on the ground. Nathan Cruz, Ritchie and Logan Goettman all had touchdown runs in the second half for the Rams.

“That always feels good, making those blocks that lead to big plays,” senior center John Ramirez said.

Zeen finished the evening with 110 yards through the air and added another 87 yards on the ground to lead the way for King.

“Murrieta Mesa showed why their champions. They played the full game from start to finish,” Wolves coach Jason McMains said of the result. “We were able to punch them in the mouth early, but they got right back up and showed who there are.

“It’s a but tough because of how well we started, but I think this team still has a lot of football left ahead of them this season.”

Jones completed 12 of 19 passes for 200 yards and had a hand in four of Murrieta Mesa’s seven touchdowns Friday night.


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