Glendora intercepts last pass to win league title

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The PA announcer said it best: ‘One second, one play for the Sierra League championship.’

With one second left in the game, Ayala’s Matt Baca floated a Hail Mary into the end zone from about the 50-yard line for a chance to tie the game. As the ball sailed through the air, the clock hit zeros -- and it struck midnight for the Bulldogs.

Baca’s pass was intercepted and Ayala’s Cinderella-season came to an end with a 24-17 loss. Glendora won the game and the league title.

The Tartans did it with defense, by pressuring Baca relentlessly, and by making clutch plays on offense.

Ayala, which came up short on fourth and goal from the 2 with 5 minutes left, got that shot at tying the score when, inexplicably, Glendora Coach Mark Pasquarella decided to run the ball instead of taking a knee in the final minute of the game. The decision resulted in a fumble, and Ayala took over at their 28 with only one timeout left and 53 seconds remaining.

‘I was going to run more running plays, then put the ball in the quarterback’s hands and take the knee,’ Pasquarella explained. ‘Unfortunately, we gave the ball up and it didn’t look good ... I think it took another year off my life.’

Ayala began to move down the field and it looked like the Damien game all over again (‘But with a lot less time,’ Baca said). The Bulldogs methodically worked their way across the 50-yard line, quickly huddling to spike the ball and using the sidelines to their advantage. Time, however, simply ran out.

-- Jaime Cardenas

-- Image from www.nfluk.com

-- Editor Bob: Since this Hail Mary pass didn’t work for Ayala, wanna see one that does? Check out this YouTube video of what is considered THE classic Hail Mary pass: