SOLANA BEACH — Minutes before the 4 p.m. kickoff against Helix High School, Santa Fe Christian’s football coaching staff, nattily attired in off-white shorts and white polos, gathered at midfield for a prayer. Then the Eagles burst through an inflated tunnel.
Helix’s players stood en masse in the opposite end zone. Some 56 cheerleaders — 30 for Helix, 26 for Santa Fe Christian — lined up for kickoff.
On the baseball infield behind the Helix bench, kids smacked soccer balls toward a goal. Behind the south end zone, future SFC Eagles leaned against blocking sleds, watching their high school heroes.
Another high school football season kicked off.
And Santa Fe Christian, the private K through 12 school with a high school enrollment of 442, demonstrated, again, that it can hang with the big boys. Helix’s enrollment is north of 2,500, but the Highlanders were no match for Santa Fe Christian, which walloped the Scotties 38-6.
Helix’s offensive line outweighed SFC’s defensive line by 74 pounds per man. The Eagles’ middle linebacker, Charlie Stover, stands 5-foot-9, 165 pounds.
So how do the Eagles do it?
“They’re all heart,” head coach Jon Wallace said minutes after the rout. “We tell the kid we win because we’re smart and we’re tough. Just be tough and gritty. Just fight to the bitter end.”
The Big Three
A year ago, Santa Fe Christian opened the season with 13 straight wins and won a section Division 2 title before losing in the Southern California regionals.
The Eagles will rack up wins again in 2026, thanks in part to a trio of gifted offensive players, Cornell-bound quarterback Dax Labrum, running back/linebacker Brady Berg and wide receiver Chase Woolley.
The 6-foot-3, 190-pound Labrum completed 19 of 29 passes for 225 yards and three touchdowns.
Berg scored three touchdowns, on runs of 2 and 10 yards, and a 40-yard catch. A 47-yard Woolley punt return set up SFC’s first TD. His 53-yard kickoff return set up another score, and he pulled in a 32-yard TD catch.
Said Wallace: “They’re really good players.”
Esprit de corps
There’s a vibe among the Santa Fe Christian players, a closeness that comes from attending classes side by side and being teammates for years.
“I’ve never been on a team this close,” said Berg.
“I’ve never been on a team that stays as late after practice as this one,” said Woolley. “And we don’t recruit.”
Added Berg, “There’s nothing better than putting on this jersey and playing with my best friends.”
SOLANA BEACH, CA – August 21, 2026: Santa Fe Christian’s quarterback Dax Labrum talks to quarterback coach and former NFL quarterback Drew Brees during the fourth quarter against Helix at the Santa Fe Christian School in Solana Beach on Friday, August 21, 2026. (Hayne Palmour IV / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Hall of Fame coach
Santa Fe Christian may have the most overqualified assistant coach in America. The Eagles’ quarterbacks coach is former Chargers QB Drew Brees, who was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame two weeks ago.
Brees’ son, Baylen, is an SFC senior wide receiver.
Labrum called having Brees as his position coach “probably the biggest blessing in the whole world. Having him on the sideline, he’s able to predict what the other team is doing before they even do it.”
QB draws penalty
Labrum was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for something he said after a late hit that drew a personal foul. To which teammate Logan Moran said from the sideline: “That can’t be. He’s going to Cornell.”
Class personified
Despite battling a knee injury all last season, Woolley caught 59 passes for 680 yards and six TDs.
Wallace says Woolley “plays his guts out every time he’s on the field and has a heart of gold.” If a younger player on the team is struggling, Wallace will often ask Woolley to console the player.
Asked what inspires him to give back, Woolley said: “In my life, what’s most impacted me is my love for Jesus Christ, my Lord and savior. That’s flowing through me. It’s a reflex that when I see these young teammates I love on them.”
Helix struggles
Helix is coming off back-to-back 5-7 seasons. It’s the first time since 1974-75 that the Highlanders suffered back-to-back losing seasons. In Helix’s 75-year football history, the Scotties have suffered three straight losing seasons just once, from 1973 to ’75.
By the numbers
7 – Section titles for Santa Fe Christian
11 – Section titles for Helix, the last in 2021 in Div. 1.
18 – Section championships for Oceanside, the most of any school.
Food review
Opted for the mini tacos, courtesy of Rodeo’s Cocina. One steak, one chicken, rice and beans. Came with onions, cilantro and guacamole.
Four belches on the five-belch scale.