REV, Santiago combine for three touchdowns in last 1:13 of first half

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Wild last two minutes of the first half here at the Inland Division semifinal between third-seeded Redlands East Valley and wild-card Corona Santiago.

That Haka rain dance by Redlands East Valley before the game seemed to be backfiring as the Sharks scored two touchdowns in the last 1:13 of the first half to build a 22-0 lead.

However, Chris Polk, pictured, fielded a kickoff with three seconds left and ran it back for a sensational touchdown, cutting the deficit to 22-7.

REV appeared set to score when it moved the ball to the Shark 10-yard line midway through the second quarter, but Polk could’t handle a handoff and it was recovered by Santiago. The Sharks then drove the ball with relative ease into Wildcat territory and B.J. Iverson scored on a 29-yard run with 1:13 left in the half.

The Wildcats tried to run their two-minute offense but a quarterback sack resulted in another fumble and the Sharks recovered. Dye then scored on a 41-yard run with three seconds left in the half and it appeared Santiago would go into the locker room with all the momentum.
Polk had something to say about that, however.

The drum corps from one of the schools is out in the middle of the field putting on a show in the pouring rain. Very cool. Good crowd support here, even though it feels like we’re in Portland.

-- Dan Arritt

-- Image by Irfan Khan/Los Angeles Times