If they could beat ‘em once, they could do it again

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Before this season, Chadwick had not beaten Pasadena Poly since 1997, when the Dolphins prevailed, 22-16.

In the span of less than a month now, though, the Dolphins have done it twice.

In a Prep League game on Oct. 20, they won, 41-21, to improve to 7-0 on the season.

After that game, Chadwick ended the regular season with three consecutive losses, to Flintridge Prep, Viewpoint and Rio Hondo Prep, and the Dolphins (7-3, 2-3) needed beat the Panthers (3-6, 2-3) again in a three-team, round-robin series of tiebreakers Saturday morning in order to earn the league’s third and final East Valley Division playoff berth.

Chadwick defeated the Panthers, 7-6, in a tie-breaker college-style overtime period at Flintridge Prep, where possessions began on the 25-yard line.

The Dolphins beat Poly on a touchdown pass from senior quarterback Andy Magee, the second-leading passer in the state according to MaxPreps.com, to the Dolphins’ leading receiver, Tim Watson that was followed by an extra-point kick by Tom Balough.

Chadwick’s score overcame Poly’s earlier touchdown run by John Pennington because Watson also blocked the Panthers’ extra-point attempt.

Chadwick also beat Viewpoint (5-4, 2-3) in the other tiebreaker with a field goal by Balough and another touchdown pass from Magee to Watson. Read more about the Prep League tiebreaker in the Daily Breeze.

For their efforts, the Dolphins will get a Division XII first-round playoff game at Twentynine Palms (7-2), the first-place team in the De Anza League.

(And if you haven’t clicked on the Twentynine Palms link above, do it, and have a look at the Wildcats’ really nice, slick Web site).

-- Lauren Peterson