CHULA VISTA – Midway through the third quarter, it looked like Dillon Baxter was going to hit the turf for a costly third-down sack.

Then the Mission Bay High quarterback shook a defender at midfield, sprinted to the left sideline, picked up some blocks, cut back again and strolled into the end zone at the right hash mark.

The scramble gave the Buccaneers an insurmountable 17-point lead and helped fuel a 37-10 victory against host Mater Dei Catholic in the San Diego Section Division IV football quarterfinals.

“He has a good sense for the game and he knows when things are there,” Mission Bay coach Willie Matson said. “Some guys seem to have a knack for that, and he has that knack.”

Baxter's ability to make something out of nothing comes as no surprise, however. The junior started the season as a running back and wide receiver, but was moved behind center after an injury to starter Bryan Allen in mid-October.

“We did it out of necessity with an ankle injury to (Allen), and sometimes things really take off,” Matson said. “Our offense has become real multidimensional and has done real well since he's been back there.”

Baxter finished the night with 128 yards and three touchdowns on 13 carries, many of them scrambles. But he was also efficient throwing the ball, completing seven of nine passes for 104 yards.

“Our O-line did everything it was supposed to do,” Baxter said. “Everything was just perfect tonight.”

That offensive line was able to dominate the Crusaders (5-6). The Buccaneers (6-4-1) finished with 339 rushing yards, led by running back Sam Metu's 158-yard, two-touchdown performance.

But defensively, Mission Bay was even more impressive in the trenches. The Buccaneers allowed just 59 rushing yards and recorded four sacks and a pair of interceptions.

“Through the year we've had some unfortunate breakdowns, so they've been working like crazy to correct those,” Matson said. “To see our defense rise up like that was nice for all the coaches.”

With the win, Mission Bay will take on Madison (11-0) at 7 p.m. Friday in a position Matson is used to but is still enjoying.

“To go back to the semifinals for the fourth year in a row is great,” he said. “I told (the team) they never thought they'd feel so good to hear practice on Monday.”