CHULA VISTA, CA - The Lincoln Hornets (11-2) staged a furious fourth quarter rally to defeat the Newbury Park Panthers (14-1) 34-27 in a thrilling Division 1-AA Southern California Regional playoff game on Friday night at Southwestern College's Devore Stadium. The victory sends Lincoln to the state championship game next Friday, December 13th at Saddleback College where they'll face Northern California champion Pittsburg (CA).
Trailing 27-14 entering the final period, Lincoln scored 20 unanswered points, capped off by two clutch touchdown passes from senior quarterback Akili Smith Jr.
With under 2:30 to play and facing fourth-and-goal from the 15, Smith Jr. fired a dart into traffic that was deflected by a defender before being hauled in by Joshua Newbern for the tying score. Then, after a defensive stand, Smith Jr. led the Hornets down the field and found Courtney Miller-Thompson on a perfectly placed back-shoulder throw in the corner of the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown with less than a minute remaining.
"He called that last touchdown," Lincoln head coach David Dunn said of Smith Jr. "There were some plays earlier where we felt he should have got rid of the ball that he held on a little bit too long. But when he does things like that, it shows his growth. He did a great job of holding his composure together and leading us to this victory."
Smith finished with 15 of 26 completions for 272 yards, was responsible for four scores (3 pass, 1 rush), and added 90 yards rushing.
His late-game heroics were made possible by a tenacious defensive effort. The Hornets sacked Newbury Park's highly-touted quarterback Brady Smigiel seven times and forced three turnovers.
Sophomore defensive end Prince Tavizon, who was part of the relentless pass rush, said the key was their aggressive mindset.
"Really, all gas, no brake. That's what we were doing," Tavizon said.
For Tavizon and his teammates, reaching the state championship is an opportunity to avenge past playoff disappointments.
"I want to be a state champion," Tavizon said. "Last year we fell short in the CIF and the year before that I wasn't here, I was watching though.
Coach Dunn knows his team will be considered underdogs in the title game, but that's a role they embrace.
"Nobody expects us to be here, nobody expects us to win," Dunn said. "We just continue to get it done over and over and over. We're just so excited for these young men, they worked so hard and had to go through so much this season."
To pull off one more win and claim the state crown, Dunn stressed the importance of his team's preparation in practice this week.
"We have to continue working, we got to stay healthy, and we got to just make sure we get these next four or five days of practice and preparation in before we head up to Saddleback," Dunn said.
Led by their composed senior quarterback and swarming defense, Lincoln will aim to defy the doubters one final time and bring a state championship trophy back to San Diego.
El Capitan wins Division 5-AA Regional Championship
Lakeside, CA - In the East County, the El Capitan Vaqueros (11-3) advanced to the State Championship for the second time in team history (first since 2014) following a 33-19 victory over the Silverado Hawks (9-6).
The first quarter remained scoreless as both teams traded punts and field position, with El Capitan showing early promise through a long pass from senior quarterback Brandt Barker (14-21, 308 yards, 2 TDs) to Ayden Banegas (4 receptions, 79 yards) but unable to convert it into points.
El Capitan broke the deadlock in the second quarter when Barker scored on a six-yard rushing touchdown, followed by Brayden Ford's successful PAT to make it 7-0. The score remained unchanged going into halftime. The third quarter saw an explosion of scoring, starting with a 56-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Michael Valencia II (4 receptions, 134 yards) to Barker. Silverado immediately responded with an electrifying 85-yard kick return touchdown to cut the lead to 14-7. However, the Vaqueros maintained control with another touchdown pass to Barker, this time a 21-yarder from Banegas, followed by a field goal from Ford (2-3 on field goals) to extend their lead to 24-7. Silverado managed to stay in the game with a 15-yard touchdown pass late in the third quarter, though they missed the extra point.
In the fourth quarter, El Capitan continued to build their lead with another field goal from Ford and a five-yard rushing touchdown by junior Brody Copp (13 carries, 35 yards, 1 TD). Despite Silverado's late 43-yard touchdown pass and failed two-point conversion attempt, El Capitan's balanced offensive attack and strong defensive performance, led by Kory Savage's 20 tackles and a combined four sacks from Tod Carter and Evan Ortega, proved too much to overcome. The Vaqueros' defense was particularly disruptive, recording six total sacks for 40 yards lost, while their offensive attack distributed the scoring among six different players, demonstrating their versatility in the crucial playoff victory.
Riding a 10-game winning streak, El Capitan will travel to Fullerton UHSD Stadium next Friday to take on Carmel (CA), looking to bring the team's first-ever state title home to Lakeside.
No comments:
Post a Comment