Magnolia Rallies to Tie Mayfair, 14-14

Talk about an unlikely hero.

The person best answering that description from Magnolia High School Friday was a 5-foot-7, 145-pound senior who had never appeared in a football game until last month.

Jose Myers may be new to Magnolia, but at the rate he moves, he should have considerable campus name recognition by first period on Monday.

Myers led the Sentinels back from a two-touchdown deficit against Mayfair at Bellflower Stadium Friday to a 14-14 tie.

The wide receiver caught 7 passes for 121 yards and 1 touchdown. Not bad for a little guy who was “too busy” working as a gardener at a loan company to try out for sports until last spring’s football practice. Even then, he said he only went out to please his mother.

When Myers showed up for practice, he was already the fastest person on the Sentinel team (1-2-1).

Myers has developed an uncanny knack for catching passes in traffic, like a miniature tight end.

Mayfair (1-3) appeared to have the game in hand early Friday. A Magnolia fumble late in the first quarter was recovered by the Monsoons at the Sentinel 13-yard line. Mayfair immediately scored on a pass from quarterback Bob Partin to tight end Ken Ebert.

Things didn’t get any better for Magnolia when quarterback Mike Tietge threw his second interception on only his fourth pass attempt. That led to a 50-yard drive and a 17-yard run by Bobby Ward for another touchdown.

But the Sentinels pulled themselves together rather impressively and, after a fumble recovery at the Monsoons’ 36, the Magnolia went on to score on a nine-yard reception by Myers.

With 3:52 left in the third quarter, Magnolia tied the game on a four-yard run by sophomore tailback Kris Walsh and sophomore Jayson Nester’s kick.

Magnolia missed a chance to go ahead when Nester’s 22-yard field goal attempt sailed to the right.

A nice defensive play by Walsh, who threw himself in the path of a Partin pass intended for Allen Trent, later stopped a drive by Mayfair to preserve the tie.

As time ran out, Nester was sent in to try a desperation 41-yard field goal, but it was blocked.

“I was really glad the way our quarterback was able to come back,” Sentinel Coach John Hangartner said of Tietge, who completed 9 of 16 passes for 140 yards. “He’s been struggling with interceptions and he was really feeling down on himself, but he came back really well.”