Football: Behind Boron’s miracle comeback

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There was no way Boron was going to win this game. No way.

The Bobcats trailed host Kern Valley, 35-22, with 5 minutes, 26 seconds left Friday night after stumbling through much of the second and third quarters. They had one drive end at the Broncs’ 5-yard line when they ran out of time at the end of the first half. Another drive was thwarted when Kern Valley intercepted a pass at its own goal line.

Boron wanted to win -- had to win -- for Vinnie Rodriguez, the sophomore running back and safety who died Tuesday from head injuries sustained in a game four days earlier. But things weren’t working out that way. In fact, Boron fumbled midway through the fourth quarter immediately after one player yelled, ‘This is for Vinnie! Come on!’

Then an unusual confluence of events unfolded. Bobcats receiver Joshua Glass made a tricky catch in traffic to convert a third down. Quarterback Josh Core connected with Jason Hartman for a 7-yard touchdown pass. And on the extra point, the ball hit the crossbar, bounced high into the air and somehow tumbled over the bar with maybe an inch to spare.

Even so, all Kern Valley had to do was run the final 2:21 off the clock.

But on the third play following Boron’s failed onside kick, the Bobcats forced a fumble and recovered at the Broncs’ 14-yard line with 1:48 remaining. Glass scored five plays later on a 1-yard run to tie the score before Carlos Soto’s extra point provided the final point in a 36-35 victory.

Kern Valley lined up for a potential winning 35-yard field goal on the game’s final play, but the kick was low and to the left.

‘God was on our side tonight,’ Bobcats Athletic Director Jim Boghosian said.

There was pandemonium afterward as Boron fans who had packed the visitors’ section poured onto the field. Cheerleaders and some players cried as they went through the handshake line, overcome with the emotion of a difficult week.

Then, in a touching tribute, players from both teams met at midfield and released yellow and black balloons into the sky to honor Rodriguez in a move beautifully choreographed by the Bronc boosters and executed by Kern Valley Coach Ben Goffinet and his players.

‘The support we’ve gotten from surrounding communities is just absolutely amazing,’ Boron Coach Todd Fink said. ‘Very touching, everything that’s gone on.’

A fundraiser dinner at Boron on Thursday raised $11,300 for Rodriguez’s family to pay for medical and funeral expenses, according to Principal Paul Kostopoulos. Memorial services are tentatively scheduled for Wednesday or Thursday.

--Ben Bolch