ORANGE COUNTY PREP FOOTBALL : Smarr Plays It Smart in Fourth Quarter : His Touchdown and Interception Lead University to 14-11 Win

For Gary Smarr of University High School, it was simply a case of being in the right place at the right time.

Smarr, a junior running back, caught a 57-yard pass for a touchdown with 1:41 remaining, then intercepted a pass on the next play to lead University to a 14-11 victory over Paramount Friday night at Irvine High School.

The dramatic finish for Smarr offset what had been an uneventful night for the Trojans’ offense, which was without starting fullback David Liebke, who had a bruised shoulder.

After leading the entire game, University fell behind with just 2:22 remaining when Greg Bryant scored on a two-yard run to give Paramount its first lead, 9-7. A fumbled snap on the extra point allowed quarterback Jack Manu to hit Robert Miller for an unexpected two-point conversion and an 11-7 Paramount lead.

Marshall Francis returned the kickoff 33 yards to the University 43-yard line with 1:50 left. But quarterback Jeff Bailey had missed on seven of his last eight passes, making a University comeback seem unlikely.

On University’s first play, Bailey fumbled the snap, momentarily freezing the Paramount defense, and then found Smarr wide open across the field for the winning touchdown with 1:41 left.

Paramount still had one final chance, but Smarr intercepted Manu’s pass to seal the victory. It Smarr’s first interception. He doesn’t normally play in the secondary.

“We decided to put our three fastest guys in the secondary,” said Mark Cunningham, University coach. “And Gary said he wanted to go in.”

University’s last-minute rally marred what had been a methodical comeback for Paramount.

Paramount controlled the ball for nearly 10 minutes in the final quarter, driving 69 yards in 16 plays, before Bryant scored.

Running back Levi Brailsford highlighted the drive, rushing for 30 yards and catching a pass for 15 yards. Brailsford finished with 100 yards in 20 carries and touched the ball on 27 of Paramount’s 39 offensive plays.

University took a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when Jim Roberson ran 37 yards up the middle on an end reverse. Paramount cut the lead to 7-3 on a 25-yard field goal by Juan Villaruel midway through the third quarter.