Segerstrom quarterback Frankie Gonzalez races in for a score. (Photos courtesy Mark Bausman, For OC Sports Zone)
It started out promising for Segerstrom’s football team in the first round of the CIF Division 10 playoffs.
The top-seeded Jaguars jumped out to a 10-0 lead after the first quarter but 16th-seeded Salesian battled back and won 20-17 Friday night at Segerstrom.
“Both teams played hard, we didn’t make plays on offense and didn’t execute all night the way we had hoped,” said Segerstrom Coach Joseph Tagaloa. “We had some good drives and were able to be successful on first and second down and then third and fourth down we didn’t do what we hoped to do.
“But our kids played hard and they fought all night. It’s one of those things where the ball just didn’t bounce our way tonight.”
To see the slide show, please click on the first photo:
Salesian was led by quarterback Marcus Martin, who passed for 237 yards and two touchdowns.
Segerstrom was able to recover an onside kick on the first play of the game. The Jaguars (4-7) took over on the Salesian 22 and cashed in on a 37-yard field goal by Moises Garcia.
Segerstrom quarterback Frankie Gonzalez then put the Jaguars ahead 10-0 when he sprinted 26-yards for a score late in the first quarter.
Salesian (8-3) cut the lead to 10-7 on a 1-yard TD run by Darius Jackson.
However, Segerstrom responded. Gonzalez connected with Cristian Galaviz on a 24-yard TD pass to give the Jaguars a 17-7 lead at halftime.
Salesian countered with two scores in the third quarter. Quarterback Marcus Martin hit Anthony Redix on a 13-yard TD pass and then hooked up with Jackson on a 7-yard TD pass to put Salesian ahead by three going into the final quarter.
Segerstrom had one last chance when it got the ball back on its own 18-yard line with 1:18 left and just one timeout left but the drive stalled at the 25.
Gonzalez led Segerstrom rushing for 50 yards and passing for 71 yards. Julian Diaz rushed for 97 yards on nine carries for the Jaguars.
“We worked hard for it this week,” said Salesian Coach Anthony Atkins. “We didn’t look at the seedings because of the new playoff settings. But the guys worked hard this week and we went 1-0.”
Martin, the quarterback, has been outstanding all season.
“He’s been our leader all year round, he was league MVP and he has a lot of poise, he’s grown up a lot,” Atkins said. “I’m happy he’s on our team.”
Tagaloa said he was still proud of his team’s season.
“The rankings, I would have to say, are a work in progess,” he said. “I don’t know if we’re a D-10 team or a D-9 team or a one seed or a 16 seed. There is a lot that goes into that computer algoritm. But at the end of the day, our kids played hard and that’s all I can ask.
“We started off rough and then we slowly started to get it going and we were able to be a co-league champ and we’re going to put a banner in the gym. I’m very proud of what we were able to accomplish. Nothing but love and respect for these guys, they put it all on the line. I couldn’t ask for a better group of guys.”
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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