PHOTOS: Aliso Niguel wins a thriller in the final seconds over Sunny Hills 36-35

Aliso Niguel players and coaches celebrate last-second win over Sunny Hills. (Photos courtesy Jim McCormack, For OC Sports Zone)

It was reasonable to assume that Friday night’s non-league football game between Aliso Niguel and Sunny Hills would be much like last year’s one-point close encounter. 

And it was.

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

Aliso Niguel's last-second heroes: quarterback Kyle Kychelhahn (7) and receivers Colby Routh (6) and Caleb Peterson (81).

Aliso Niguel's Caleb Peterson hauls in a last-second TD pass.

Luke Duxbury's pass to Cal Wilson gave Sunny Hills a 35-28 fourth-quarter lead.

Cal Wilson catches a 25-yard TD pass to give Sunny Hills a 35-28 fourth-quarter lead.

Aliso Niguel's Caleb Peterson caught a 34-yard TD pass on 4th-and-9 to lead to a tie score, 28-28 at the end of the third quarter. No. 3 is Connor Mcintosh.

Sunny Hills' Vince Silva heads for the end zone on the second of his two third-quarter TDs. Aliso Niguel's Trevor Romaldo defends.

Sunny Hills' Jun Ahu (4) and Vince Silva (22) celebrate Silva's second TD.

Aliso Niguel's Kyle Kyckelhahn tormented Sunny Hills all night, repeatedly scrambling for key yardage and throwing five TD passes. Sunny Hills defender is Bryan Paz.

Sam Carducci scored Aliso Niguel's first TD on a 21-yard pass from Kyle Kyckelhahn.

Coach Pete Karavedas encourages his Sunny Hills players during their clash with Aliso Niguel.

Assistant coach Mike Callahan suffered a knee injury in the end zone celebration after Aliso Niguel's last-second win over Sunny Hills.

Aliso Niguel's Caleb Peterson scored three TDs in his team's 36-35 win over Sunny Hills. Defenders are Carson Irons (9) and Jonathan Lee (14).

Sunny Hills' Vince Silva avoids a tackle by Aliso Niguel's Trevor Romaldo on an 85-yard TD run.

Wolverines’ quarterback Kyle Kyckelhahn threw a 23-yard pass to Caleb Peterson for a TD as time expired and then threw a 2-point conversion pass to Colby Routh to give Aliso Niguel, ranked 6^th in the CIF’s Division 8, a 36-35 victory over the division’s No. 2 team, Sunny Hills in Buena Park’s new football stadium.

The decisive score was a repeat of much of the evening’s exploits for Kyckelhahn, who scrambled for critical yardage and passed for five touchdowns.

On the toss to Peterson, Kyckelhahn dodged several defenders before lofting a pass into the end zone that was intended for a well-defended Aliso receiver, but the ever-aggressive Peterson cut in front of everyone to collect his third TD catch of the evening. The 2-point conversion was a replay, virtually, of the TD, with Kyckelhahn scrambling until he found the open Routh.

Sunny Hills, playing its first game of the season (Aliso is 2-0) took a 35-28 lead with 2:32 remaining when Cal Wilson caught his second TD pass of the night, a 25-yarder from Luke Duxbury.

The Lancers appeared to have things in hand, for a moment, when they scored twice in the third quarter to take a 28-14 lead. Vince Silva scored both TDs, going 75 yards one play after Carson Irons recovered a Wolverines fumble, and later scoring from 13 yards out.

Any sense that Aliso Niguel was out of the contest lasted only momentarily with Peterson catching an 81-yard pass from Kykelhahn and scoring 19 seconds later. Peterson scored again with 25 seconds to play in the third leaping for a 34-yard pass from Kykelhahn on 4^th-and-9.

The Lancers had blocked Aliso’s PAT on an earlier TD so, of course, Kykelhahn ran for the 2-point conversion tying the score at 28 and setting the scene for a very dramatic fourth quarter.

 Sam Carducci caught Kykelhahn’s first TD pass, of 21 yards for the game’s first score, and Sunny Hills countered on a 4-yard run by Jun Ahu.

– Courtesy Jim McCormack, for OC Sports Zone