Foothill running back Nathan Gouvion takes off for a gain as Palos Verdes defensive back Jack Demoss pursues in the second quarter Friday night. (PHOTOS: Fernando M. Donado, For OC Sports Zone).
Palos Verdes rallied for a late fourth quarter touchdown and defeated Foothill 27-24 in a CIF Division 5 semifinal football playoff game Friday night at Tustin High School.
The Sea Kings (8-5) advance to the finals next weekend and will play La Serna, which defeated Summit in a semifinal game on Friday. The Knights finish the season 7-6. Friday was also the last game for Foothill coach Doug Case, 61, who announced earlier this year that he planned to retire after the season.
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“It’s been a long and great career; I’ve been a football coach for 40 years and a head coach for 32 years; it’s time to move on,” said Case, who has been at the helm of the Knights football program for 25 years and led Foothill to nine league titles and 20 CIF playoff appearances.
“I plan to travel, and we have a new grandbaby, so there is a lot of stuff I still want to do.”
Friday was the first time Foothill has reached the semifinals since 2012.
The Knights never trailed until the final 65 seconds.
Palos Verdes sophomore quarterback Ryan Rakowski tossed a 14-yard TD pass to Mortley Boyd in the corner of the end zone to give Palos Verdes a 27-24 lead with 1:05 remaining.
Palos Verdes was aided by a crucial 15-yard penalty late (called for simulating the offensive count) against the Foothill that gave the Sea Kings a first down at the Knights 25-yard line with just over two minutes to play. Three plays later, the Sea Kings scored the go-ahead touchdown.
“I told the guys in the huddle on the final drive, ‘one play at a time,’” said Rakowski, who completed 19 passes for 246 yards and three touchdowns passes while rushing for 87 yards on 11 carries. “I saw the play develop across the field and we trusted each other, and we executed it perfectly.”
Foothill drove to the Sea Kings 29-yard line in the final seconds, but quarterback Gino Marchetti was sacked on the final play and Palos Verdes held on for the victory.
“Our season started out rough, but Coach Case helped us fix a lot of our mistakes and we gained energy,” said Marchetti, who threw for 146 yards and two touchdowns passes. “Coach Case built such a strong connection with the players by simply talking with us.”
In the first half the teams combined to compile 429 yards of offense. On its opening drive of the game, Foothill capitalized on a Sea Kings’ turnover and marched 66 yards in 10 plays to take the lead. Marchetti capped the drive with a 14-yard TD run to give the Knights a 7-0 lead.
In the second quarter, both teams scored each time they had possession of the ball. After Palos Verdes cut the lead to 7-3, Marchetti threw a swing pass to Nico Mancini who raced 38 yards for a touchdown, upping Foothill’s lead 14-3. However, two plays later, Rakowski threw a 50-yard TD strike to Evan Aguirre trimming the lead to 14-10 with 4:07 left in the half.
The Knights countered with a five-play scoring drive that was capped off by a 58-yard TD pass from Marchetti to Nathan Gouvion, making it 21-10. Gouvion was outstanding as he rushed for 118 yards and a TD. The Sea Kings added a field goal on the final play of the half and trailed 21-13 at intermission.
Palos Verdes closed the gap to 21-20 at the 2:32 mark of the third quarter when Rakowski threw a 13-yard TD pass to Aguirre. Foothill added a field goal early in the fourth quarter to make it 24-20, but the Sea Kings defense was able to stop the Knights drive and get the ball back.
Palos Verdes then drove 55 yards in nine plays in the waning moments for what turned out to be the winning touchdown.
Despite the loss, several Foothill players shared their admiration for Coach Case.
“We worked so hard all season, and we wanted to win so bad for Coach Case,” said linebacker Brady Holcomb. “We’re disappointed we couldn’t get to the finals.”
“Coach Case is a heck of a coach; I learned so much under him,” said defensive tackle Truman Moore. “It’s a heart break to lose this game but it was an honor to play for him.”
Case walked away with his head held high.
“These kids gave everything they had all the way down to the last play,” said Case. “I’m so proud of them. We were hoping for a story book ending but we still made a strong run and got to the semifinals. It’s been amazing.”
Palos Verdes, which finished second in the Bay League, defeated Brea Olinda and Mayfair to reach the semifinals. Foothill earned an at-large playoff bid from the Epsilon League and defeated Moorpark and Lakewood in the first two rounds of the playoffs.
Notes:
—Guy Gardner has been the head coach at Palos Verdes for 16 years. “We’ve been playing harder and getting better each week,” he said.
—-Doug Case welcomed his third grandchild, a baby boy (Taylor) on Nov. 20. “We’re anxious to get to Dallas (Texas) and meet him.”
—-Marchetti played despite an injured right shoulder he hurt in the Huntington Beach game earlier this season.
—Palos Verdes placekicker Dylan Freebury kicked field goals of 24 and 46 yards. He is committed to Colorado State next season.
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