When you’re blessed with arguably the best running back in the county, it’s wise to hand him the football. And keep handing it to him.

Coach Thadd MacNeal put the ball in senior Darian Webb’s hands often during top-ranked Carlsbad’s showdown against No. 2 Mission Hills on Friday, and Webb delivered. Webb carried 32 times for 238 yards and touchdown runs of 15, 35 and 22 yards in a 38-21 Carlsbad victory.

Webb did most of his damage in the second half, gaining 165 yards and scoring all three of his TDs.

Carlsbad improved to 7-0, 2-0 in the Avocado League West. Mission Hills is 5-2, 1-1.

“Darian’s a guy that is a very patient, strong runner and then you got to keep giving him touch opportunities,” said MacNeal. “He has tremendous heart and desire. He’s hard to bring down, and he’s so dynamic.”

Webb is as wise as he is talented, tipping his helmet to his linemen.

“It was great, especially when the line is talking every play, working to go out there and dominate,” said Webb. “It’s great to run behind such a great O-line.”

Antonio D’Alessandro completed 16 of 22 passes for 178 yards and two TDs.

Jackson Junge and Colt Rocha intercepted passes for Carlsbad. The Lancers’ defense made a fourth-down stop in the second half, plus Dylan Sims recovered a fumble.

For Mission Hills, Ryan Mackenzie caught four passes for 92 yards and a 77-yard touchdown, plus returned a kickoff 95 yards for a score.

Carlsbad has defeated Mission Hills six of the last seven times the teams have met.

Top 10

No. 3 Cathedral Catholic 49, La Jolla 7: Koa Smith-Mayall completed 11 of 14 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns for Cathedral Catholic (4-3). Gavin Rossi completed 4 of 7 passes for 61 yards and a TD. Isaac Cook caught five passes for 153 yards and two scores. Blake Sloan had three catches for 65 yards and a TD. Matijs Beals had five tackles and a 97-yard interception return for a TD. Noah Lauifi had nine tackles and two pass deflections. For La Jolla (2-5), Nico Bardaro had eight catches for 135 yards plus seven tackles, including one for a loss. Bryson Grant had eight tackles and an interception returned for a touchdown.

No. 4 Granite Hills 35, Steele Canyon 7: Zac Benitez completed 23 of 32 passes for 297 yards and four touchdowns for Granite Hills (5-2, 2-0 Grossmont Hills). Courtney Miller-Thompson caught six passes for 121 yards and three TDs. Jonah Hamilton had six catches for 62 yards and a score. Travin Shabazz had four tackles for loss. Steele Canyon is 4-3, 0-1.

No. 5 Santa Fe Christian: Idle.

No. 6 Rancho Bernardo, 45, El Camino 17: Gaige Weddle rushed eight times for 129 yards and TDs of 75, 2 and 12 yards for Rancho Bernardo (6-1, 2-0 Avocado East). He also passed for 191 yards and a score. Kai Storer scored on runs of 45 and 10 yards for El Camino (0-7, 0-2).

No. 7 La Costa Canyon 23, No. 9 San Marcos 21: Zack Hasler kicked a 47-yard field goal as time expired as LCC improved to 4-3 overall and 1-1 in Avocado West League play. Ryder Montgomery scored three rushing touchdowns and ran for more than 100 yards for the Mavericks. San Marcos is 4-3, 0-2.

No. 8 Helix 49, Grossmont 12: Caden Thompson completed 13 of 15 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, both to Jeremy Robinson, as Helix (6-2, 2-0 Grossmont Hills) rolled to its third straight victory. Stephon Fuentes gained 161 yards on 12 carries, scoring twice. Donte Wright scored two rushing TDs. Bryson Calloway turned one of his seven receptions into a score. Jacob Johnson led the defense with an interception. Grossmont (5-3, 0-2) suffered its second consecutive loss.

No. 10 Oceanside 38, Del Norte 7: Neke Letuli gained 235 yards on 11 carries and scored three touchdowns for Oceanside (4-3, 1-0 Avocado East). Anthony Barquinero completed 11 of 16 passes for 150 yards and a TD. Del Norte is 4-3, 0-2.

Eastern League

University City 47, Christian 27: Thomas Dietrich completed 18 of 23 passes for 370 yards and five touchdowns for UC (4-3, 1-1). DJ Ferguson had six catches for 160 yards and two TDs. Jaylin Lilly-Marrujo had five catches for 100 yards and two scores. Christian is 5-2, 0-2.

City League

Mira Mesa 34, Madison 14: Nico Cato carried 29 times for 271 yards and two touchdowns and, playing defense, had six tackles and two assists for Mira Mesa (6-1, 1-0). Nico Giusti threw for 159 yards and a touchdown and rushed for two more scores. Madison is 4-3, 1-1.

Morse 19, Coronado 10: Melo Avetyan had a 65-yard touchdown catch for Coronado (1-6, 0-2). Elijah Williams had two sacks. Morse is 3-4, 1-1.

Central League

Hoover 40, Kearny 13: Hezekiah Manuel completed 25 of 34 passes for 426 yards and six touchdowns as Hoover improved to 5-3, 2-0. Jayden Stewart caught nine passes for 165 yards and two TDs. Abdul Abdullah caught seven passes for 156 yards and a score. For Kearny (0-7, 0-2), Jaylin Hills rushed 30 times for 156 yards and a TD. Zion Davis intercepted a pass.

Crawford 21, Canyon Hills 19: Shamar Warren gained 151 yards on 25 carries and scored three touchdowns for Crawford (3-4, 1-1). For Canyon Hills (1-6, 0-1), Haize Lafarga had 23 tackles, including six for a loss. Ma’Kahi Fields-Cook had 20 carries for 201 yards. Taylor Sheriff had eight catches for 120 yards and a TD. Liam White completed 14 of 19 passes for 237 yards and three TDs. Xyden Chong had five catches for 72 yards and a score.

Grossmont Valley League

El Capitan 56, Monte Vista 0: El Capitan improved to 3-4, 2-0 by holding Monte Vista to 129 yards of offense. Robinson Silva paced the Vaqueros’ defense with 15 tackles and returned a fumble 57 yards for a touchdown. Braiden Linder recovered a fumble in the end zone for a TD. Michael Castillo rushed for 133 yards and two touchdowns, while Elijah Azul caught six passes for 67 yards and a TD. Monte Vista (2-5, 0-2) lost its fifth straight.

West Hills 12, Santana 3: Two of Evin Dill’s four completions went for touchdowns as West Hills (6-1, 2-0) beat rival Santana (4-3, 0-2) for the fourth straight season. Dill hit EJ Lee-Fields and Chuck Rosalino for scores. Santana’s Ethan Miller was 26 of 44 for 252 yards and Denton Goar caught 13 passes for 126 yards. Santana gained nearly 500 yards but didn’t score a touchdown.

Valhalla 55, El Cajon Valley 0: Valhalla (5-2, 2-0) had no trouble romping past El Cajon Valley (2-5, 0-2).

Metro Mesa League

Mater Dei Catholic 52, Olympian 14:  Junior Luis Heraldez boomed a 55-yard field goal, hit all seven of his extra-point attempts and put the ball in the end zone on all seven kickoffs as Mater Dei Catholic won its second straight league game after opening 0-6. Qasim Williams rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown in addition to catching a touchdown pass, Xavier Vitale scored on two runs and AJ Wilson rushed for a TD. Jayden Blondin passed for 110 yards and a pair of scores. Diego Mendoza and Warren Florence intercepted a pass. Olympian is 2-5, 0-1.

Eastlake 34, Montgomery 0: Joe Waters completed 15 of 25 passes for 203 yards and a touchdown as Eastlake (8-0, 2-0) remained unbeaten. Justice Alcantara caught seven passes for 75 yards. Santiago Aleta caught a touchdown pass. CJ Wilson rushed for two scores and Eidrin Estrelon chipped in 43 yards rushing on nine carries and a touchdown. Javian Ceja led the defense with eight tackles, a sack and a fumble recovery. Noah McCurty (seven tackles, three sacks) and Stephen Guevara (six tackles) helped blank Montgomery. Montgomery (2-6, 0-2) suffered its fourth straight loss.

Imperial Valley League

Imperial 49, Calexico 6: Santonio Urena passed for seven touchdowns to lead Imperial (6-1, 2-0) to its fifth straight victory. Urena was 20 of 29 for 345 yards, connecting with Trey Ruiz 10 times for 184 yards and three scores. Deren Hueso, Joshua Vizcarra, Danny Alcala and Jacob Lee grabbed the other TDs. Nathan Martinez hit all seven extra points. Calexico slipped to 2-5 and 0-2.

Holtville 50, Central Union 7: Andres De La Cruz recovered two fumbles, one in the end zone for a touchdown, and Rodrigo Martinez returned an interception for 15 yards and a TD as Holtville (5-2, 1-0) won its third straight game. Holtville forced four turnovers, with Marcos Garcia forcing and recovering another fumble. The Vikings allowed just 71 yards. Michael Munoz led the offense with 89 yards rushing and two touchdowns while Leo Riebeling collected a TD plus three 2-point conversions. Dominic Torres caught a touchdown pass for Central Union (5-3, 0-2).

Desert League

Mountain Empire 41, Calipatria 14: Elisha Robinson rushed for 294 yards and four touchdowns as Mountain Empire improved to 5-3, 1-1. Chance Ross passed for 114 yards and TDs to CJ Bynum (65 yards) and Amar Mahsin (28 yards) as Mountain Empire won its first Desert League game. Angel Avila had 12 tackles and a forced fumble. Calipatria (3-4, 0-1) lost its third straight.

Palo Verde 21, Vincent Memorial 7: Palo Verde (5-2, 1-0) scored in the fourth quarter to stun league front-runner Vincent Memorial (6-2, 2-1).

Palomar League

Ramona 50, San Pasqual 29: Ryan Shaw completed 11 of 16 passes for 258 yards and two touchdowns for Ramona (4-4, 2-0). Keegan McElwee carried 22 times for 202 yards and three TDs. Ryan Peck had three catches for 63 yards and two scores. Noah Bedia rushed for 86 yards and a TD and finished with 54 receiving yards. Jared Brecht had six carries for 114 yards and a 2-point conversion to pace San Pasqual (4-3, 0-1). Cam Perreira completed 18 of 30 for 309 yards. Noah Bernes had five carries for 71 yards.

Pacific League

Maranatha Christian 20, Classical Academy 15: Tom Peddinghaus threw for 128 yards and a touchdown for Maranatha Christian (6-1, 2-1). Ryan Niguidula had 21 carries for 174 yards, caught a TD pass and put up 128 return yards. Harrison Boehning had two sacks, a fumble recovery and two tackles for loss. Dane Johnson had six catches for 65 yards and a TD. Classical Academy is 2-5, 0-2.

Non-league

Torrey Pines 22, Poway 7: Jacob Kreiss carried 25 times for 111 yards and two touchdowns for Torrey Pines (5-2). Blake Miller completed 11 of 16 passes for 165 yards. Logan Bonneau caught four passes for 84 yards. Clark Drcar kicked field goals of 33, 35 and 44 yards. Dom Principi had 13 tackles. Jack Helman had two tackles and a sack. Poway is 3-4.

Point Loma 51, Scripps Ranch 14: Ryder Watson completed 23 of 29 passes for 393 yards and five touchdowns, plus rushed for 40 yards and a score for Point Loma (6-1). Seven players caught passes for the Pointers, led by Graham Murdock, who had six receptions for 105 yards and two TDs. Colin Scott had four catches for 86 yards and a TD. Tanner Spradling had five receptions for 68 yards. MJ Fowler and Nick Lemus had interceptions. For Scripps Ranch (0-7), Ian Campbell gained 223 yards on 19 carries. Jordan Zeller had two catches for 58 yards and a TD. Nolan Cooper completed 8 of 18 for 103 yards with two TDs.

Lincoln 42, St. Augustine 15: Pai Polamalu gained 180 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns at St. Augustine improved to 3-4. Julian Chanfreau completed 10 of 21 passes for 130 yards. Lincoln is 2-5.

Patrick Henry 43, Mount Miguel 6: Patrick Henry is 7-0 for the first time since 1999. Mount Miguel is 2-4.

San Diego 47, Mission Bay 0: Xavier Wilson had 13 tackles and a sack and forced a fumble for San Diego (3-4), which won its third straight game. Kye Cooper returned an interception for a touchdown, plus had 10 tackles, two catches for 23 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Harris completed 12 of 15 passes for 172 yards and two scores. Jayden Johnson rushed nine times for 82 yards and a score. Mission Bay is 4-3.

Westview 70, Escondido 14: Jackson Munford accounted for six touchdowns for Westview (4-3). Miles Miranda and JJ Vargas each had two touchdown catches. Charlie Klingkammer had a receiving and rushing score. Eytan Davis had two touchdown catches. Micah Davis had a punt return score and TD catch. Escondido is 1-6.

Hilltop 20, Mar Vista 19: Victor Ruiz’s 27-yard field goal with eight seconds remaining gave Hilltop (4-3) the victory. Sophomore Lane Bailey tossed a touchdown pass and Tre Nichols rushed for another, while junior Max Vaquero rushed for 102 yards. Dante Hernandez led the defense with 14 tackles. Mar Vista (4-3) was led by Cecil Thomas, who rushed for 141 yards, highlighted by a 52-yard touchdown run. Jehiel Crawford added seven receptions for 112 yards and rushed for 42 yards for the Mariners.

Southwest-San Diego 31, Chula Vista 20: Isaac Munoz was 13 of 23 for 228 yards and one touchdown and rushed for another TD to lead Southwest (4-3) over Chula Vista (2-5). Yves Tido and Dylan Garcia rushed for touchdowns and Leonel Rivera caught Munoz’s scoring pass. Samuel Gonzalez amassed 174 all-purpose yards for the Raiders. Sergio Ibarra forced two fumbles and Sebastian Torres recovered one.

Southwest-El Centro 14, Somerton (Ariz.) 3: Southwest (3-4) dominated on the ground early, with Ignacio Perez scoring from 8 yards in the first quarter and Leonardi Valezuela outjumping the defenders in the end zone in the second quarter on a pass from Ryan Fakih. The defense, led by Adrian Jauregui, Ignacio Perez and Jaden Real, stymied the second-year program. Southwest (3-4) snapped a two-game losing streak.

San Ysidro 25, Sweetwater 23: San Ysidro scored a touchdown with four seconds left to play, beating Sweetwater for the first time in 20 years. San Ysidro (2-5) trailed 23-7 with seven minutes remaining before rallying. Caleb Contreras started the comeback, returning an interception 90 yards for a score. Following a turnover, Eydan Countinho scored on a 20-yard pass. With 25 seconds to play, San Ysidro got the ball back on the Sweetwater 40. Contreras caught a 35-yard pass and with four seconds to go, caught the winning pass from 5 yards out. Sweetwater dropped to 1-6.

Bonita Vista 50, Castle Park 6: Bonita Vista (3-4) raced out to a 30-0 lead after one quarter, pushed it to 43-0 heading into halftime and cruised to the victory over Castle Park (3-4).

Valley Center 48, Mt. Carmel 15

8-man

Francis Parker 81, Julian 0

Borrego Springs 72, West Shores 42

Saturday’s  game

Coastal League

Army-Navy Academy vs. Bishop’s at La Jolla High School, late

Steve Brand, John Maffei and Breven Honda contributed to this report.