Los Alamitos bounced back from a sluggish first half to overcome a 14-0 deficit and top Yorba Linda High, 35-28, in a CIF-SS Division 2 playoff game on Friday at Veterans Stadium Long Beach.
After trying to reel in the Mustangs all game long, the Griffins finally took the lead on an 8-yard touchdown run by Kamden Tillis, with 1:04 left in the game. The run capped an 86-yard drive that began with 4:47 left in the game.
Tillis caught a 35-yard pass from Colin Creason to convert a third and 11 just before his scoring run. Quarterback Colin Creason was flushed from the pocket, but made a throw on the run to convert the first down. Griffin Head Coach Ray Fenton said that the team has been coming up with clutch plays and drives most of the season. He credited Offensive Coordinator TJ Fenton with guiding the offense from the booth and the players with executing when they needed it.
“Our kids executed really well when we really needed it … hey, big play, right?, we get that big penalty, we move all the way back and then right away, Colin does what he does, and finds Kam and Kam comes through like he has all year long.”
Los Alamitos had scored with 11:10 left on a 20-yard run by Lenny Ibarra, but a missed extra point left them still trailing 28-27. The Mustangs were able to move the ball and eat up some clock, but the Griffins finally forced a punt to set up the final drive.
Yorba Linda, the Bravo League champion, was able to get in scoring range on final minute drive, but on fourth down, Ibarra intercepted a pass in the end zone to shut down the drive and seal the game. The Griffins struggled early to slow down the Mustangs, who took a 14-0 lead in the first quarter. Los Alamitos finally found the end zone, early in the second quarter, when Creason hit Beckham Hofland down the middle for a 75-yard touchdown that cut the lead to 14-7.
But the Mustangs continued to answer with a grinding run game that had the Griffins on their heels. Fenton credited the Mustangs for their hard-nose play and noted that the Griffins needed to adjust to counter their game plan.
“They understand their identity, which is to maul you, you know, in a good way, and pound on you and I’m so happy with the way our guys responded with the pad level and finally keeping it low and making some stops when we needed it,” Fenton said.
The Griffin defense also contributed to the scoring with a forced fumble that was returned by Gavin Vera for a touchdown that cut Mustang lead to 21-14. The Mustangs were able to add a touchdown in the waning seconds of the second quarter to take a 28-14 lead into the half.
Ibarra had a touchdown reception in the third quarter, on another scrambling pass from Creason that cut the lead to 28-21, before his touchdown run that cut the lead to 28-27.
The Griffins (9-2) will host San Juan Hills in a quarterfinal game at 7 p.m. Friday at Veterans Stadium Long Beach. San Juan Hills (2-9) is an at-large entry out of the Bravo League. They topped Downey High, 28-27, in their first round game.