Christian Mills’ kick lifts San Pedro to 17-15 win over Carson

With the pressure mounting, Christian Mills appeared to be as relaxed as they come on Friday night. Despite his struggles earlier in the game, San Pedro’s senior placekicker showed no signs of being rattled with the outcome on the line against Carson.

Mills made good on his opportunity when it counted, booting a game-winning 30-yard field goal with 10 seconds to play at San Pedro High to secure a 17-15 victory for the Pirates in a game with Marine League title implications and positioning in the City Section playoffs at stake.

“I went from zero to hero,” said Mills, who missed a 37-yard attempt at the end of the third quarter and also struggled on kickoffs. “Kicker is a tough job. You’re only as good as your last attempt. At the start of the game, I was nervous. Even in the second half, I was thinking too much. You must have a short-term memory. Shake things off and move to the next play.”

His winning kick earned the Pirates (9-1, 4-1) a share of the league championship with Carson (7-3, 4-1) and Harbor City Narbonne (6-4, 4-1), a 31-14 winner over Wilmington Banning on Friday night.

Based on the result of the regular-season finale Friday, San Pedro probably will receive a top-four seeding when pairings for the City Division I playoffs are released Saturday. Crenshaw and Garfield will be factors as well.

Mills wouldn’t have been in position to win the game if not for the efforts of Chris Alvidrez and Christian Serna. The senior running back tandem combined for 178 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. Alvidrez also contributed as a linebacker on defense.

“Mills did his job, we all did our jobs,” Alvidrez said. “We had to get it done; with everything at stake, we could not lose. This is our house. If you’re going to come here and play us, you better expect a fight. We left it all out there on the field. There was no other way.”

Carson trailed 7-6 at the start of the fourth quarter, after Mills’ missed attempt with four seconds left in the third.

“I went up to Christian and made sure he knew that we were going to give him another chance,” Serna said. “We kept the faith. We win as a team and lose as a team. When one of us is not doing well, it’s not a good thing. It’s about staying positive.”

Senior wide receiver Jabari Minix was perhaps the biggest reason Carson was in position to win until Mills’ final field goal. Minix had eight receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown.

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