La Habra‘s DJ Mitchell scrambles for yards as Crean Lutheran’s Tyler Parker defends. (Photos courtesy Crean Lutheran Shutterbugs, Howard Lyon and Ted Rigoni.)
La Habra High defensive end Ulavai Fetuli sacked Crean Lutheran quarterback Dylan D’epifanio in the end zone for a safety with 3:55 remaining in the game to lift the Highlanders to a 15-13 victory in a key Epsilon League game Friday night at La Habra.
“We watch a lot of film, and I watched their quarterback’s eyes earlier in the game and I knew his tendencies,” said Fetuli, who also caught two passes in the game. “I give my D-backs a lot of credit for that sack.”
After dropping its opening game of the season, La Habra (7-1, 3-0) has won seven consecutive games and remains in first place in league. Crean Lutheran (6-2, 2-1) had its three-game winning streak snapped.
Trailing 13-7 midway through the fourth quarter, La Habra went on a 12-play, 93-yard scoring drive. Highlanders’ junior running back Bobby Brooks keyed the La Habra drive with six consecutive carries for 48 yards that fueled the Highlanders’ momentum.
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Kevika Martinez capped the drive with a six-yard TD run. However, La Habra was unable to convert the PAT and the score remained 13-13.
“We’ve been looking forward to this game all season,” said Brooks. “We played harder in the second half and got after them.”
La Habra pinned Crean Lutheran at its 5-yard line following a penalty on the ensuing kickoff. Three plays later, Fetuli stormed into the Saints backfield and tackled D’epifanio in the end zone giving the Highlanders a 15-13 lead.
But the drama wasn’t quite finished.
The Saints ensuing free kick sailed over the head of the La Habra receiving team and the Highlanders started their possession back at their seven-yard line.
On a fourth-down-and-three play from their own 17-yard line with less than two minutes remaining in the game, La Habra elected to go for the first down instead of punting. The huge gamble paid off as the shocked Highlanders’ homecoming crowd looked on and witnessed as quarterback Kenneth Saucedo ripped off a 16-yard first down run to keep the drive alive. Three plays later, Saucedo barreled for a 21-yard run and the Highlanders were able to run out the clock and secure the win.
“It was kind of a sneaky play,” said La Habra Coach Frank Mazzotta. “Kenny (Saucedo) is such an athletic kid, and he has been unbelievable for us in his four years here, so I had faith in him, and it was up to him if he was going to run that play and go for the first down.”
Saucedo said we “knew this was going to be a battle and we grinded it out.”
Crean Lutheran’s senior running back Archer C’de Baca and sophomore Caleb Bey combined to rush for 107 yards against a very strong La Habra defense.
“We made too many mistakes in the fourth quarter,” said Crean Lutheran Coach Rick Curtis. “They made more plays than we did in the final quarter and that was the difference. They say you learn more from a loss than a win; we’ll learn from this and get ready for a tough battle next week with Huntington Beach.”
It was a great start for Crean Lutheran.
The Saints marched 63 yards in eight plays on their first possession of the game for a touchdown. The drive was highlighted by the C’de Baca’s running and D’epifanio’s passing. D’epifanio completed three clutch passes and C’de Baca carried the ball five times for 36 yards. C’de baca capped the scoring drive with a 12-yard TD run. However, the Saints missed the extra point but still led 6-0.
The Highlanders countered with an impressive scoring drive of their own, moving 62 yards in 13 plays. DJ Mitchell tossed a four-yard touchdown pass to Noah Holm for the score. La Habra added the PAT and led 7-6 with 17 seconds left in the opening quarter.
On the ensuing drive, Crean Lutheran, sparked by Bey’s hard-nosed running, moved 73 yards in nine plays to retake the lead. Bey carried the ball six times for 44 yards and D’epifanio completed an 8-yard TD pass to Dillon Booth in the corner of the end zone, giving Crean Lutheran a 13-7 lead at the 8:44 mark of the second quarter.
Late in the first half, the Highlanders had a 14-play drive to the Saints seven-yard line. La Habra elected to go for it on fourth down with less than a minute left in the half, but Saucedo was stopped short of the goal line and Crean Lutheran took over possession and was able to run the clock out and take a six-point halftime lead.
The defenses tightened even more so in the second half as both teams forced a turnover in the third quarter. However, La Habra’s long drive in the final quarter tied the game and set the stage for the dramatic finish.
“We played aggressive and physical, and we put it on them,” said Crean Lutheran’s sophomore linebacker Ethan Haugsland. “We’re disappointed but we have to put this behind us and move on.”
La Habra rushed for 222 yards and only completed four passes in the game. Booth had a big game for the Saints as he caught six passes for 58 yards and a touchdown. Friday’s loss was Crean Lutheran’s first road defeat in four games this season.
NOTES:
—-Friday was the first time La Habra and Crean Lutheran have met on the gridiron. However, years ago, Rick Curtis, while at Northwood High, coached against Mazzotta and La Habra.
— Mazzotta is in his 27th year as head coach at La Habra.
—Mazzotta said: “Our rushing attack has been successful this season because we have a lot of returning guys on the Oline, defensive line and tight ends and we’ve built on that experience. I like the new league alignment (Epsilon League), for one, it’s new and we’re playing a bunch of new schools who have talented players. It’s exciting.”
—According to Curtis, the Crean Lutheran coach, sophomore quarterback Caden Jones is still a few weeks away from returning from his PCL knee injury. “We’re not sure if Caden will be back in a few weeks in time for the playoffs or if he’s done for the season. That decision has yet to be made.”
—Saints sophomore running back Caleb Bey returned to action this week after suffering a hip injury in the San Juan Hills game.
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