PREP FOOTBALL : Empire League : Pacifica, Eye on the Playoffs, Rises to the Occasion and Beats Cypress

Pacifica High School, facing the possibility of missing the football playoffs for the first time in six years, rose to the occasion on Thursday night.

The Mariners scored in every quarter en route to a 31-14 victory over Cypress in front of 750 fans in Handel Stadium at Anaheim. Pacifica improved to 3-2 in the Empire League and meets Los Alamitos next week in an important game that could determine a postseason berth.

Cypress, now 2-3 in league play, saw its hopes of making the playoffs vanish as quarterback David Brunet threw four interceptions and the Centurions’ running game wasn’t a factor.

“Their running backs scared me to death and their offensive line is a lot better than it’s been in the past,” said Bill Craven, Pacifica coach. “I’m just glad we got a win. Next week is a critical game for us.”

Junior running back Ray Willis gained 101 yards, scored a touchdown and intercepted two passes for the Mariners. Quarterback Brent Johnson had his best game of the year, completing 9 of 16 pass attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown.

But the critical play of the game was an ill-advised pass thrown by Brunet that Mariner linebacker Tim Hansen intercepted and returned 11 yards for a touchdown. The play gave Pacifica a 21-7 lead and some breathing room.

“I thought we mixed the run-pass pretty well in the first half, but when Tim made the interception I went to ball control,” Craven said.

The Mariners never trailed, opening a 7-0 lead in the first quarter. Pacifica drove 61 yards for the score and the big play of the drive was actually a mistake by Mariner punter Danny Blake.

Blake did a good job of fielding a low snap, but the ball slipped out of his hands as he attempted the punt. It was a good thing because a Cypress defender most likely would have blocked Blake’s punt.

Blake alertly picked up the football and ran 24 yards for a first down. Johnson completed four consecutive passes in the drive, including a seven-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tim Parrish.

Cypress failed to get a first down in the first quarter, but the Centurions finally got their running game untracked. The Centurions drove 75 yards to tie the game, 7-7, as Blaise Bryant scored his 12th touchdown of the season on a six-yard run.

Pacifica regained the lead with only 2:17 left in the half when Willis scored on a three-yard run. The Mariners mixed up some fine running by Willis with some short passes by Johnson, but the big play of the drive was a questionable pass-interference penalty called against Cypress on a third-down play.

Bryant was the only impressive performer for Cypress, gaining 107 yards in 17 carries and scoring 2 touchdowns. Bryant also received some excellent blocking from junior tackle Charlie Williams.