Irvine football team had something to prove and extended its season with inspired performance in CIF playoffs

Irvine football coach Erik Terry said he was happy for his group of seniors. (Tim Burt photo)

Irvine High’s football players came into Friday’s CIF Division 11 playoff opener against fourth-seeded Ocean View with something to prove.

The Vaqueros didn’t think they had played well a week earlier in a 21-13 loss to Northwood, although Vaquero Coach Erik Terry made it a point to credit the Timberwolves for their solid play in the Pacific Coast League finale.

Irvine made the most of a second chance with its best effort of the year in a 30-14 victory over Ocean View Friday night in the CIF Division 11 playoffs. The victory sends Irvine (5-6) into Friday’s second round against Hemet (7-3) at Hemet.

“We came out with a chip on our shoulders and it really paid dividends through our hard work and dedication all season,” said Irvine quarterback Marc Filia, who threw for two touchdowns and passed for 165 yards.

It was quite a celebration on the field after game as Terry and his players enjoyed their playoff victory. Irvine was making its first appearance in the CIF playoffs since 2014.

The Vaqueros, despite finishing third last year in the Pacific Coast League and having a 6-4 overall, did not qualify, which seemed to be an incentive for this year’s team all season.

Irvine appeared to be in for a challenge against Ocean View, which was 9-1 coming in.

“It’s 0-0 once you get in and for us and our mentality, it was a great spot for us to be in,” Terry said. “Everyone is going to talk about Ocean View, 9-1 and tied for first in their league and we thought from watching them on film, we thought they were a very good Pacific Coast League team. After playing them, I think they would be a top team in the Pacific Coast League. And that’s what we sold our kids on all week. They’re not better than a Pacific Coast League team. We said they belong in a league like us and if we play our best game and they play their best game, we will see where the chips fall.

“At the end of the day, I think we played one of our best games and caught them off guard.”

The victory was also satisfying for Terry, who continued to believe in his players even through the tough times.

“For me personally, it means a lot because this senior class has been through a lot,” he said. “There have been a lot of ups and downs, there have been a lot of injuries, there have been guys in and out of the program. So they’ve been through a lot in their four years for them to get a playoff win, especially after the season we had, where we played tough teams early and got beat up, lost a close game to Woodbridge for the potential league championship and didn’t do that well and lost that game against a passionate Northwood team; we needed this for this senior class.

“That’s what I feel best about. These guys have really earned this opportunity to be here.”

UPDATED BRACKETS AND KEY MATCH-UPS FOR SECOND ROUND OF PLAYOFFS

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