Forty-eight minutes to CIF glory for Crescenta Valley High football

Forty-eight minutes and one very good Downey High football team are all that remain standing in the way of Crescenta Valley claiming a CIF Southern Section Southeast Division championship and an undefeated season for the ages.

For 13 weeks, the Falcons have thrilled their growing faithful with win after win during a run that’s seen them claim their first Pacific League championship since 2004 and march to the CIF title game for only the second time in program history and the first time since 1973.

Now, Crescenta Valley (13-0) is a victory away from hoisting a CIF plaque with Downey (10-3) looking to conclude the Falcons’ magical run a triumph short of title glory when the teams square off Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Glendale High’s Moyse Field.

“You’ve got the feeling of it’s close,” said Crescenta Valley quarterback Brian Gadsby on Monday. “Everybody associated with the team, everybody associated with the school and I’m sure everybody on Downey is in a hurry for Friday to come.”

Playing in the area’s first CIF-SS football championship game since Flintridge Prep defeated Pasadena Poly in 2003, Crescenta Valley highlighted its regular season with a rare road win at Muir that essentially paved the road to a league crown. Following lopsided playoff wins over Harvard-Westlake, 42-14, and Paramount, 35-14, the fourth-seeded Falcons emerged from their most dramatic victory of the season in the semifinals, thwarting defending champion La Serna, 41-36.

It is a run to the championship game made all the more impressive considering Crescenta Valley hadn’t even made the playoffs since 2011 and had not won a playoff game since 2009.

“For the past two years, making the playoffs was the hardest thing we could do and now we’re in the finals,” Falcons offensive and defensive lineman Davo Hakobyan said. “It’s kind of surreal.”

A season ago, the Falcons finished at 8-2, tied for second place in league and watched the playoffs from home as they were on the wrong end of a tiebreaker in league and a playoff formula to determine the division’s at-large entry. However, the playoff formula that left the Falcons in the cold a year ago, might well have been the concoction that has led to a season-long hot streak.

“I think CV had a chip on their shoulder after what happened last year,” said Downey Coach Jack Williams, whose team has advanced to the title game with wins over California (51-20), third-seeded Cathedral (21-18) and Salesian (35-14) last week in the semifinals.

While the Falcons are drinking in all the pomp and circumstance of sudden and historic success, Downey is returning to the CIF championship after winning the 2012 title.

Consequently, the Vikings’ title win came against La Serna, as Downey and Crescenta Valley are the last two teams to have defeated the Lancers in the postseason. In 2013, though, Downey followed up its title run with a 6-5 season concluded by a lopsided 63-29 defeat against Diamond Bar in the first round of the playoffs.

On that 2012 championship team were nine sophomores who return looking for a second championship with something to prove.

“We weren’t very successful last year,” Williams said. “Now they’ve got a chip on their shoulder.”

Crescenta Valley brings with it a trademark no-huddle, spread offense led by Gadsby as well as an often overlooked, but equally impressive defense keyed by a cast that includes defensive back Jordan Lobianco, linebacker Sean Bloks and defensive end Matt Erickson.

“Everybody talks about CV’s offense, but their defense is what makes them go,” Williams said. “They’re in the right spots and they tackle and do what they’re supposed to do.”

For all the flash and brilliance that characterize the Falcons, the Vikings, champions of the San Gabriel Valley League, are very much about brawn and might, keyed offensively by a pair of excellent running backs and buoyed on the other side of the line of scrimmage by a dangerous pass rush.

“They’re pretty straight forward,” Crescenta Valley Coach Paul Schilling said. “They have two great running backs and they have a big, strong line.”

Carrying Downey to success all season has been the dual threat of junior Daevon Vigilant (198 carries for 1,799 yards and 11 touchdowns) and senior Justin Huff (127 carries for 1,287 yards and 15 touchdowns). In all, Downey has churned out 4,004 yards and 34 touchdowns on the ground.

Vigilant has eclipsed the 100-yard mark in 11 games this season, including the last seven in a row behind a big, physical offensive line likely incomparable to what Crescenta Valley has previously encountered.

“That’ll be kind of the challenge. We haven’t really had anybody try to do that to us,” said Schilling of the Vikings’ straight-forward style. “We just have to squeeze gaps, shed blocks and tackle.”

Sophomore Trevor Hill is the Vikings’ starting quarterback, having completed 83 of 136 passes for 1,548 yards and nine touchdowns to seven interceptions through 10 games.

In Downey’s three playoff games, the team has thrown the ball just 46 times with 31 completions for 545 yards and three touchdowns to two interceptions. In the semifinal win over Salesian, Hill was eight of nine for a score and an interception, while junior Rafeeq Rahim was three for six for 33 yards.

“Defensively, we have to stop the run and make them throw on third downs,” Hakobyan said.

Throughout the season, the Falcons’ defense has wreaked havoc with takeaways, having tallied 22 interceptions, led by Lobianco’s nine, and nine fumble recoveries, led by Jae Hong’s three. But against La Serna, the Falcons had none and uncharacteristically turned the ball over an alarming four times, allowing the Lancers to climb back in the game before a Gadsby one-yard keeper won the game late in the fourth quarter.

“It’s not gonna work against Downey in the championship game,” Gadsby said of losing the turnover battle such as it did against La Serna. “We were lucky to get away with it.”

Indeed, much of Crescenta Valley’s onus this week has been on its need to limit its mistakes and cause Downey’s as it’s done all season until the La Serna contest.

“It comes down to not turning the ball over four times and whoever makes a big play,” Schilling said. “If we make big plays and we don’t make mistakes, then I think we win. If we make mistakes and they make big plays, I think they win.”

Led by Gadsby, the Falcons have been making big plays all season.

The senior signal-caller has put up gaudy numbers to the tune of 47 total touchdowns (39 passing, 8 rushing) with 217 completions in 352 attempts (61%) for 3,562 yards.

“He’s the best quarterback we’ve faced,” Williams said.

Gadsby’s quick release has found an assortment of receivers with a quartet having all tallied at least six touchdowns and 500 yards receiving. Connor Van Ginkel has led the way with 1,300 yards, 13 touchdowns and 62 catches followed by Chase Walker (38 catches for 722 yards and 10 touchdowns), Bostin Lakin (47 receptions for 608 yards and six touchdowns) and Lobianco (28 catches for 508 yards and seven scores).

“We have to cut down on the big plays,” Williams said. “Our thing is just containing them and not letting the crowd get behind them.”

Running back Jonathan Jun carries 16 touchdowns and 1,351 yards rushing into the game for the Falcons, but an offensive line that’s been spectacular all season might be taking on its toughest task.

Downey boasts a fierce pass rush that’s led by senior Chris Blanton, who’s tallied a whopping 25.5 sacks and will match up with Bryan Wong and Hakobyan pending which side he lines up on.

“Our offensive line will be put up to the test,” Gadsby said. “It’ll be a good challenge for them, but I know they’ll be up to it.”

So it goes that a group of Falcons that has captured the community’s affection are now potentially four quarters away from achieving their ultimate goal.

“Just go out there and do what we normally do. Just get the ‘W’ for the school and the community,” Hakobyan said. “It’s just a great opportunity. We just have to take advantage of it.”

Consequently, the Falcons have the opportunity to end two straight seasons with a victory. Their rivalry win over Arcadia in 2013 proved to be a frustrating end to that season, but began a 13-game winning streak that now carries into the biggest game in more than four decades for Crescenta Valley football.

“Going 13-0, hopefully 14-0, has definitely been a story for the books,” Gadsby said, “and it’s something we can tell our kids about and they can never take away from us.”

Forty-one years ago, the 1973 Falcons brought the school its first football title.

Now the question looms as to whether the 2014 Falcons are 48 minutes away from their own CIF championship glory.