PHOTOS: Hurtado’s late touchdown lifts Cypress past Serrano 26-21 and into CIF finals

Isaac Hurtado of Cypress is mobbed by his teammates after Friday’s win. (Photos: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone)

Cypress High’s star running back Isaac Hurtado wasn’t about to let an ankle injury prevent him from leading his team to the CIF finals Friday night.

The senior reached back for all he had, just like has been doing all year. His coach, Rick Feldman, feared he wouldn’t return.

But Hurtado regrouped after a fourth quarter injury and scored the game-winning touchdown to lead the Centurions past Serrano 26-21 in a hard-fought CIF Division 7 semifinal at Western High matching two 12-0 teams.

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The victory sends Cypress into the finals for the first time since 2007. Cypress took the title that year. Cypress will be the home team for the championship Friday at Western against Temecula Valley.

“It was hard sitting out and watching my team (while he was out),” Hurtado said. “I wish I could have done more, but I’m not the only one on the team, that’s the great part about it.”

Culminating an exciting back and forth game, Cypress (13-0) went ahead 26-21 on Hurtado’s 4-yard TD run with 3:08 left. Hurtado was stopped on a 2-point conversion but the Cypress defense, stellar all night, was able to hold on the next series.

Hurtado rushed for 103 yards and quarterback Dylan Eldredge stepped up with a phenomenal performance, passing for 213 yards and and two touchdowns.

“I’m just so impressed with our perseverance,” said Feldman, who will be making his first trip to the finals. “Different guys stepped up. They did a real good job of slowing Isaac down and Dylan came up big and some of our receivers, Corey Anesi came up big and our defense came up big absolutely when they had to all night long.

“That team scores a lot of points. I’m just proud of how hard we played and how when it looked like it was all going bad, we found a way to come back and win like we’ve done all year.”

Serrano moved ahead 21-20 when quarterback Parker Chaffee connected with Matt Lowe on a 9-yard TD pass with 10:31 left in the game.

But Cypress battled back on its next series and on the drive Hurtado injured his ankle and had to come out.

Aided by penalties, Cypress was able to move the ball to the Serrano 19-yard line and Hurtado, after being treated by trainers, was able to come back picked up a first down on a fourth-and-one to keep the drive alive.

“I’m super excited,” Hurtado said. “I can’t get too excited because I have to prepare for the next game. I want to get the ring and I’m looking forward to next week and hopefully we can come away with the ring.”

He emphasized that after a weekend of rest he will be ready for the challenge.

With Serrano focused on containing Hurtado, the Centurions went to the air early and Eldredge produced connecting on Anesi on an 84-yard TD pass to help the Centurions tie the game 7-7.

Eldredge later hooked up with Elijah Vaielua on a 14-yard TD pass to put the Centurions up 14-7 late in the first quarter. Serrano tied the score on a 6-yard TD run by Cade Beujean with 5:44 left in the second quarter.

Anesi answered with an 8-yard TD run late in the first half to give Cypress a 20-14 lead. The Centurions missed the point after.

Then in the second half, the team battled back and forth before Cypress delivered the final blow, much to the delight of thousands of Centurion fans.

“It means everything, the O-Line really did a great job at the end there,” Eldredge said. “I just want to thank the guys around me, because they’re the guys who have been here for all of it. We just wanted to keep doing what we were doing. The run game started to open up and they were starting to get a little tired.”

The plan was simple gong in.

“We knew they would stack the box because of Hurtado, so we came out just slinging it and guys were making plays. Cory on that touchdown and 70 after a catch. It’s crazy, it’s been a long time since they’ve been there and I’m just happy to be the quarterback for that team.”

Anesi wound up with three catches for 120 yards .

Chaffee led Serrano (12-1) with 103 yards passing while Wahkill Sullivan rushed for 56 yards on 10 carries.

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