Coronado High lost its season opener 8-7 to Hilltop on Friday, Aug. 21, after squandering multiple scoring chances in head coach Josh Dean's first game at the helm.

The Islanders' defense dominated most of the night, holding Hilltop to 182 total yards and just 92 on the ground. Sean Bryant led the effort with nine tackles, two sacks and three tackles for loss. But the offense couldn't convert opportunities into points, and the Lancers rallied in the second half to steal the win.

Coronado struck first on special teams. Bryant logged a sack and a tackle for loss on consecutive plays, and Melo Avetyan broke up a pass to Hilltop receiver Seven Tarkington to force a punt. Chris Sturm then broke through the line and blocked the kick. Bryant pounced on the loose ball in the end zone for a touchdown, giving Coronado a 7-0 lead with 1:19 left in the first quarter.

That would be all the Islanders could muster.

In the second quarter, Coronado drove inside the Hilltop 15-yard line. A 15-yard catch by Gavin Forte and a 12-yard run by Avetyan moved the ball to the 11. But the Islanders fumbled on first down, handing possession back.

Later, with 20 seconds left in the half, quarterback Jack O'Sullivan found receiver Reese Pagon for a 40-yard gain to the Hilltop 16. Pagon, who finished with seven catches for 106 yards, made a leaping grab in double coverage, according to the Coronado Eagle & Journal. The field goal attempt that followed missed wide, and Coronado took only a 7-0 lead into halftime.

Hilltop chipped away in the third quarter, sacking O'Sullivan in the end zone for a safety to cut the deficit to 7-2 with 2:15 remaining in the period. Early in the fourth, the Lancers punched in an eight-yard rushing touchdown to grab an 8-7 lead with 11:29 to play.

Coronado's final drive reached the Hilltop 35-yard line. On fourth-and-12 with under two minutes left, the Lancers' front four broke through and O'Sullivan was intercepted, ending the game.

"I think defensively it's about being gap sound. … For our guys it's about understanding your assignment and not being a ball watcher," Dean said before the game.

His defense delivered on that philosophy. The offense will need to catch up. Dean, a former quarterback who played overseas in Germany, Switzerland and Italy, took over the program after Kurt Hines departed following nine years as head coach.

Coronado (0-1) hosts The Bishop's School on Friday, Aug. 28, at 7 p.m.