Crescenta Valley High football pulls away from Paramount to reach semifinals
PARAMOUNT – With balance on offense and stout play on defense, the Crescenta Valley High football team proved itself worthy of one of the deepest playoff runs in recent memory.
The Falcons scored the first four touchdowns of Friday evening’s CIF Southern Section Southeast Division quarterfinal game and defeated host Paramount, 35-14.
With the victory, Crescenta Valley represents the area’s lone football survivor as the Pacific League champion Falcons (12-0) punched their tickets to next weekend’s semifinals.
Crescenta Valley will host reigning champion La Serna (10-2), which dashed the area’s hope of a super showdown by defeating top-seeded St. Francis, 38-35.
“This is the first time this program is moving into the semifinals since 1992,” Falcons Coach Paul Schilling said. “I’m proud of the way these guys played.
“I don’t think Paramount has seen anything like us before, particularly the way we throw the ball.”
The Falcons all but iced the game with 7:44 remaining in the contest when quarterback Brian Gadsby hit receiver Jordan Lobianco in the back of the end zone for an 18-yard touchdown pass to put the visitors ahead, 35-14.
Gadsby finished the evening completing 17 of 26 passes for an even 300 yards and two touchdowns.
The touchdown pass to Lobianco (who also had an interception) capped a drive that lasted 6 minutes, 4 seconds and was fueled by plenty of hard rushing from running back Jonathan Jun, who carried 29 times for 142 yards and one touchdown.
Forty seconds after the score, defensive back Boston Lakin picked off a bomb in the end zone tossed by Paramount quarterback Caash Maluia (11 for 28 for 187 yards with two touchdown and two interceptions).
The turnover was the third of the game for the San Gabriel Valley League third-seeded Pirates (7-5), who fell behind by as many as 28 points early in the third.
Paramount did rally with two passing touchdowns of 17 and 11 yards by Maluia to receivers Donzale Roddie and Marvin Lard, with the second coming with 2:48 left in the third to close the gap to 28-14.
Crescenta Valley opened the second half with a seven-yard touchdown run from Jun to take a 28-0 lead with 7:05 left.
On defense, the Falcons tallied six sacks, with three from Colin Caver.
It was a first half of big plays for Crescenta Valley, which took a 21-0 lead into the break.
While Gadsby entered with 35 touchdowns passes through 11 games, it was his footwork that accounted for two of his team’s three scores.
The only touchdown pass of the first half came when Gadsby hit receiver Tyler Hill on a six-yard score with 2:06 remaining in the second, which gave the Falcons a three-touchdown lead.
Hill’s scoring reception came on the heels of a 52-yard pass play from Gadsby to wide receiver Connor Van Ginkel, who finished with eight catches for 189 yards.
“They had a great defense, but we saw some things that we could take advantage of,” Van Ginkel said. “Brian made some great passes, too.”
On Crescenta Valley’s previous scoring drive, Jun broke a 37-yard run that brought the Falcons to the Pirates’ 27 and led to a Gadsby two-yard touchdown run to put the visitors ahead, 14-0, with 8:49 left in the second.
Perhaps the most important drive for both teams came on consecutive possessions.
Paramount took its opening series and drove to the Falcons’ two when, on a third and goal, senior linebacker Sean Bloks stripped Maluia and recovered the fumble at the five with 3:53 remaining in the first.
Crescenta Valley then marched 95 yards on nine plays (aided by 20 penalty yards from Paramount) and scored on a one-yard keeper from Gadsby to take a 7-0 lead at 11:54 in the second quarter.
On the scoring drive, Gadsby connected with Van Ginkel on five passes for 65 yards.