Garden Grove wins an overtime thriller over Segerstrom 21-14 and captures Big 4 crown

Garden Grove’s football team celebrates after winning the league title. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman)

Garden Grove’s football team had to go overtime, but the Argonauts pulled it off Thursday night in dramatic fashion en route to the Big 4 League championship.

To see the slide show, please click on the first photo

The Argonauts scored in the second overtime period on a 2-yard TD run by Mike Carrillo to defeat Segerstrom 21-14 in the battle for first place in the new Big 4 League at Michael A. Monsoor Memorial Stadium.

This one lived up to the hype as both teams battled from start to finish. Garden Grove (9-1, 3-0) wraps up the title while Segerstrom (8-2, 2-1) finishes second and both teams are off to the CIF playoffs next week.

“It’s too bad there was a loser, I’m glad it wasn’t me, but they’re just a good program and Coach (Joseph) Tagaloa does a great job,” said Garden Grove Coach Ricardo Cepeda. “In both overtimes, we both stopped each other and we went down and scored and they jumped off-sides and that was the key penalty.”

THIS BIG GAME DEFINITELY LIVED UP TO THE HYPE

Each team received the ball at the opposing team’s 25-yard line to start the overtime.

Garden Grove took the lead in the second OT on Carrillo’s TD and then it looked like Segerstrom would answer and send the game into the third overtime.

On a fourth and two from the 3-yard line, quarterback Angel Vega scampered into the end zone but the play was erased on an off-sides penalty on Segerstrom. On the next play, Vega powered for 6 yards but came up short of the goal-line and the game ended.

Carrillo, the county’s rushing leader, led the Panthers with 101 yards on 29 carries, including the eventual game-winner.

“It’s one for the books, it’s something you see on movies,” Carrillo said. “It came true. We knew going into this game it was going to be competitive and it was going to go down to the last second. The line did everything today. If it weren’t for them, we wouldn’t be here right now, league champs. This was one of the toughest games I’ve played in my career.”

While Garden Grove players celebrated the win, the Segerstrom players took the loss hard, some dropping to the field in disappointment as it ended.

“Our team played their butts off,” Tagaloa said. “I’m very proud of all of our guys coming out here and giving everything they had. They left it all on the field. It’s just unfortunate we made some mistakes early on in the game and then towards the end of the game we get a bad call but you got to live with it and you got to keep playing and you got to keep fighting.

“Like I told all of them I would go to war with any of them any day. We’re going to get back up and we’re going to be ready for next week.”

Garden Grove took advantage of two Segerstrom turnovers in the first half to move out to a 14-0 halftime lead.

Carrillo hauled in a 10-yard TD pass from quarterback Jacob Zuzueta in the first quarter and Zazueta scored on an 8-yard run late in the first quarter.

But Segerstrom regrouped and put together a strong second half, led by Vega, who passed for 90 yards in the game and Alex Sanchez, who rushed for 109 yards on six carries.

Jacob Rodriguez scored on a 10-yard TD run with 9:57 remaining in the third quarter to cut the lead to 14-7. Then Rodriguez had a 13-yard TD run to tie it up 14-14 early in the fourth quarter.

Later in the quarter, Segerstrom advanced the ball to the Garden Grove 19, but the Jaguars were pushed back to the 27 and later missed a 44-yard field goal.

In the overtime, Segerstrom had the ball first but Garden Grove’s Ricky Gomez intercepted the ball at the 5-yard line. Segerstrom held Garden Grove scoreless in its first try, but could not stop the Argonauts when they opened the second session.

Zazueta passed for 89 yards and rushed for 48 yards.

                                  STATS

SEG                00   00   07   07   00   00   –  14

GG                 14   00   00   00   00   07    –  21

RUSHING: Seg Sanchez 5-109; Rodriguez 7-34; GG Carrillo 29-101; Zazueta 12-48

PASSING: Seg Vega 8-16-2, 90 yards; GG Zazueta 9-14-0, 89 yards, 1 TD

RECEIVING: Seg Fuiava 6-50, Schouw 1-18; GG Carrillo 4-48, Ramos 3-28.

                                                                         -Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com