Central Conference : Saddleback Wins Title on Blocked Punt and (Antwon) Lark, 34-28

The first 46 minutes and 23 seconds of the CIF Central Conference championship game betwen Saddleback High School and La Quinta were hard fought, with both teams scoring four touchdowns apiece.

It was curious, then, that the winning touchdown was scored on something of a lark.

With 1:37 to play and the score tied at 28-28, Saddleback’s Antwon Lark returned a partially blocked punt 27 yards for a touchdown, giving the Roadrunners a come-from-behind 34-28 victory and the conference championship.

With 6,000 fans at Orange Coast College looking on Friday night, the Roadrunners rallied from a 21-7 halftime deficit to tie the score midway through the fourth quarter, and then won it after Hector Santa Cruz tipped a Derek Debbs punt that Lark grabbed and returned for the score.

La Quinta turned around and blocked Todd Maxwell’s extra point attempt, leaving the Aztecs only six points behind.

Debbs, also La Quinta’s quarterback, then drove his team from the Aztecs’ 35-yard line to Saddleback’s 38-yard line, where the drive stalled with 20 seconds to play, giving the Roadrunners the win.

“We made three mistakes and they scored and they made one and we scored,” Saddleback Coach Jerry Witte said. “Everyone took turns screwing up and each team took advantage of it.”

Fumbles, key penalties, and interceptions marred the contest between two teams known for their discipline, but that might be attributed more to hard-hitting defenses than any championship game jitters.

La Quinta started out strong, taking a 7-0 lead on a 1-yard run by halfback Kevin Rice before Saddleback answered with a 7-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Myron Butler to flanker Steve Ontiveros.

The Aztecs ran their lead to 21-7 behind a 2-yard run by Debbs and a 3-yard run by tailback Bart Recktenwald. The second touchdown was set up by a fumble recovery at the Roadrunners’ 20-yard line by La Quinta defensive back Dave Harriger.

Although La Quinta’s defense didn’t stop the Roadrunners vaunted running game, they did take away Butler’s and Glenn Campbell’s favorite trick of cutting back against the grain, a ploy both runners have used with great success to rip off long runs this season.

Campbell finished with 166 yards in 18 carries; Butler was held to 16 yards in 6 carries.

The La Quinta defense, it might be noted, was playing without starting linebackers Jim Recktenwald and Mike Zaby, suspended before the game by Aztec Coach Joe Zeno for reasons he did not want to discuss following the game.

Although down by two touchdowns at halftime, Saddleback didn’t panic or change the game plan of establishing the run and using play-action passing after faking the run.

Saddleback scored first in the second half on a 16-yard pass from Butler to flanker Billy Thurmond, making it 21-14, but La Quinta responded with a touchdown of its own, apparently taking control of the game at 28-14 late in the third quarter.

La Quinta’s last touchdown came on a 5-yard quarterback sneak by Debbs with 1:52 to play in the third quarter. The score was set up by a pass interception by La Quinta defensive back Rick Wilson, giving the Aztecs the ball at the Roadrunners’ 20-yard line.

Three plays later, Debbs went in for the score and the Aztecs regained their two-touchdown margin.

After that, however, the game belonged to Saddleback.

Saddleback began its comeback by driving 73 yards in 8 plays, with Campbell carrying it in from 6 yards out for his only score of the night. The key play in the drive was the first one, a twisting, slashing 54-yard run by Campbell from his own 27-yard line to La Quinta’s 29.

That play, a sweep, was set up by Ontiveros’ block on Aztec defensive back Recktenwald, allowing Campbell to turn the corner and get downfield.

One play later, the game was delayed for 15 minutes for a medical emergency involving a spectator who suffered a heart attack and was taken to a Costa Mesa Medical Center.

Following Campbell’s touchdown, Roadrunner defensive back Hector Santa Cruz intercepted a Debbs pass, giving them the ball at the Aztec 26-yard line. Five plays later, Butler hit Ontiveros with a 7-yard touchdown and the game was tied, 28-28.

It stayed that way until the blocked punt with 1:37 remaining.