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Crescenta Valley High football upsets Burbank in overtime classic

Burbank's James Williams (21) beats Crescenta Valley's Davo Hakobyan (72) to run for a touchdown in the first half in a Pacific League football game at Glendale High School on Friday, October 11, 2013.
Burbank’s James Williams (21) beats Crescenta Valley’s Davo Hakobyan (72) to run for a touchdown in the first half in a Pacific League football game at Glendale High School on Friday, October 11, 2013.
(Tim Berger / Staff Photographer)
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GLENDALE — Things became a lot more interesting in the Pacific League, as Crescenta Valley High football made itself a contender again with an overtime win over previously undefeated Burbank.

It appeared the Falcons were on verge of another collapse, but they pulled out all the stops for an underdog victory, 48-47, over the Bulldogs at Moyse Field.

Crescenta Valley (5-1, 2-1 in league) had a chance to win it in regulation but missed a 32-yard field goal with nine seconds to play.

Fresh off a 24-17 loss to Burroughs when it coughed up a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead, one couldn’t help but wonder if the Falcons were headed down a similar route when Burbank’s James Williams, who finished with 261 yards and three touchdowns on 18 carries, scored on the first play of overtime on a 25-yard run.

PHOTOS: Burbank v. Crescenta Valley Pacific League football

It gave the Bulldogs (5-1, 2-1), ranked fifth in the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division, their first lead of the game, 47-40, and they put CV in a hole when its first possession of the extra frame went for a 13-yard loss on a bad snap.

No matter, the very next play, the Falcons ran a reverse before tossing it back to quarterback Brian Gadsby, who airmailed a 38-yard strike to Chase Walker, who out jumped his coverage and pulled down the touchdown pass.

Instead of playing for a tie, Crescenta Valley went for the two-point conversion and win. Gadsby took the snap, rolled out and went through his progressions before lofting a pass to the back of the end zone for Walker, who caught it and got both feet just inside the line for the three-yard pass, two points and a win.

Gadsby completed 25 for 33 passes for 266 yards and two touchdowns. Walker caught both touchdowns and finished with 226 yards on 11 catches.

CV held a 40-32 lead with 5:12 to play when Kevin Hello (105 yards, two touchdowns on 15 carries) scored his second touchdown run from 10 yards out, but a missed extra point after a bad snap proved costly.

Burbank made it so when it drove 68 yards on seven plays and scored on a six-yard run from Williams, who also had a 29-yard run earlier in the drive. The Bulldogs then tied the game with 2:57 to play on a three-yard sweep from Tony Toledo for the two-point conversion.

Crescenta Valley went into halftime with a 21-13 lead, thanks in large part to Kyle Tavizon, who rejoined the team for the first time this year after sitting out the first five games with an injury.

The junior running back, who finished with 128 yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, energized Crescenta Valley’s sideline early and scored touchdowns of one and two yards to cap his team’s first two drives 41 seconds into the second quarter.

Burbank answered back with the explosive play of Williams. Four plays after Tavizon’s first score, Williams broke a 43-yard sweep run for a touchdown. He brought his team back within a point, 14-13, two plays after CV’s second score with a 59-yard run up the gut.

The Falcons increased their advantage to eight points on a trick play with 10:50 left in the first half. The ball was faked to Tavizon for a run down the right sideline and handed off to Ryan Cancelosi, who crouched low behind a lineman before splitting down the left side for an easy 22-yard score.

The Bulldogs clawed back into the game with the connection of quarterback Ryan Meredith (nine of 20 for 166 yards, two scores, one interception) and wide receiver Oharjee Brown (four catches for 85 yards, two scores). The two linked up for two touchdowns of 21 and 27 yards in the fourth quarter.

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