Crescenta Valley High football claims CIF championship to cap ‘dream’ season

GLENDALE — Chasing dreams and history, Crescenta Valley High’s football team found a clear, cool and brilliant night before it.

When it concluded 48 minutes of game time later there was nothing left but to celebrate.

Spurred by an outstanding defensive effort led by defensive ends Matt Erickson and Davo Hakobyan, Crescenta Valley defeated Downey, 21-14, Friday night at Glendale High’s Moyse Field to claim the CIF Southern Section Southeast Division championship.

PHOTOS: Crescenta Valley defeats Downey, 21-14, to claim CIF championship

“This is a night you can’t take away from anybody,” said Crescenta Valley senior quarterback Brian Gadsby, who completed 13 of 25 passes for 220 yards and a 22-yard touchdown to Jordan Lobianco with 11:55 to play that stood as the game-winner. “This is a heckuva night and we’re all gonna soak this in.”

With the victory over Downey (10-4), the San Gabriel Valley League champion, the fourth-seeded Falcons, champions of the Pacific League, won their first CIF title in football since 1973 and, barring a selection to the Division II state playoffs, capped a magical 14-0 season.

“It feels amazing,” said Falcons running back Jonathan Jun, who had 26 carries for 100 yards and a touchdown. “This was our dream and we achieved it.”

It was a dream that became a reality thanks to the final tackle of an outstanding game by Erickson.

With 1:30 left in the game and Downey facing fourth and two on its own 39, Erickson sprung loose as he seemingly had for the majority of the contest and wrapped up Downey running back Daevon Vigilant for a one-yard loss.

“I was just reading my guy and came up and made a play,” Erickson said. “It was amazing.”

Crescenta Valley’s defense was amazing throughout, holding the Vikings’ offense to 223 total yards and, most decisively, its vaunted rushing game — which came in with more than 4,000 yards and two 1,000-yard rushers in Vigilant and Justin Huff — to just 121 yards in 34 carries.

“We’ve been performing since game one,” said Falcons linebacker Sean Bloks, whose defense allowed just less than 18 points per game this season. “We forced them to pass in a bunch of situations. They couldn’t run on us at all.”

The passing game of Downey struggled with just four completions in 14 attempts, with Brandon Beardt notching an interception and the 102 yards of passing coming mostly on jump-balls.

“You can’t give our defense enough credit,” Gadsby said.

Crescenta Valley, which ran a good deal of its offense with Gadsby under center after a dangerous Downey pass rush notched two first-half sacks, led, 14-0, in the second quarter before Downey rallied to tie it.

Following Gadsby’s scoring pass to Lobianco, Downey drove all the way to the Falcons’ 21, but a fourth-down pass into the end zone was ruled to have hit the ground for an incompletion much to the chagrin of receiver Stacy Chukwumezie (three catches for 87 yards).

Crescenta Valley followed with a lengthy drive of its own, but missed on a 26-yard field goal to seal the game that was pushed right. With 3:05 and 80 yards to go, Downey took over, but a Hakobyan four-yard tackle for a loss on second down set the Vikings back and two plays later Erickson salted away the game.

“They were awesome,” Falcons Coach Paul Schilling said of his defense.

Added Bloks: “I’ve never felt anything better. I don’t even know how to describe it. I just keep hugging everybody.”

Whether it was the Falcons’ high-flying offense or the Vikings’ no-huddle, spread running game, neither could get going out of the gate.

“We came out pretty nervous,” said Jun of a Falcons group, coaches and players alike, that appeared fired up, but began playing nervously.

It was a scoreless stalemate until Jun finally broke through for a 10-yard touchdown with 2:06 to go in the first quarter for a 7-0 lead.

The 52-yard drive was keyed by a 29-yard catch from Connor Van Ginkel (five catches for 102 yards), but the 7-0 lead at the end of the first quarter came largely due to a defense that allowed just nine total Downey yards and one first down.

The Falcons drove 66 yards in 14 plays on their ensuing drive. It survived thanks to a roughing the punter penalty, was highlighted by a Gadsby 24-yard throwback screen to an eligible Hakobyan, also the offensive left tackle, and a 21-yard Van Ginkel reception on fourth and seven. It was culminated by another fortuitous fourth-down play when Tyler Hill ran in from the three-yard line, but fumbled into the end zone where receiver Chase Walker recovered it to lead to a 14-0 advantage with 8:06 left in the half.

Downey finally responded on its ensuing drive, marching 70 yards in 10 plays with Vigilant running in a 10-yard score to cut the lead to 14-7.

Huff scored from five yards out with 1:44 left in the third quarter to tie it at 14.

But, like the 13 previous weeks, this night belonged to Crescenta Valley.

Gadsby found Lobianco. And Erickson sealed the biggest victory in Crescenta Valley football history in 41 years.

“This is an amazing season for all of us,” Erickson said. “I couldn’t be prouder of my team.”