Montclair Prep Ends Season in a Punchless Playoff Loss to Boron

Montclair Prep and Boron High spent the first 46 minutes of Saturday night’s Inland Conference playoff game trying to prove which team had the more anemic offense.

Montclair Prep, as it turned out, was the most afflicted.

Boron, in a clutch drive near game’s end, scored with 1:26 remaining to give the Bobcats a 7-0 victory over Montclair Prep at Pierce College.

Eddie Sexton’s one-yard plunge capped a 51-yard, 11-play drive by Boron, which will play host to Carpinteria in the second round of the playoffs.

“We self-destructed,” Montclair Prep Coach Pat Blackburn said. “Every time we had a long run, we had a holding call. We beat ourselves and penalties were a big factor.”

But not the only one. Montclair Prep was also good at turnovers, missed blocks and missed tackles. The only thing the Mounties couldn’t do was find a way to score.

Montclair Prep had the ball in Boron’s territory four times and each time came away empty.

On their first drive in the second half, the Mounties had a first down at Boron’s 26. A five-yard run then was negated by a clipping penalty. Two incomplete passes and a one-yard run later, Montclair Prep went for a 53-yard field goal, which was partially blocked.

Montclair Prep got to Boron’s 40 in its next possession, but the Mounties couldn’t get any closer.

Both teams spent most of the first half running three plays and then punting. Montclair Prep managed six first downs and had the ball in Boron’s territory twice before intermission. Boron was even more stagnant--the Bobcats had four first downs.

The Mounties missed two scoring opportunities in the first half. On their first possession of the second quarter, Adam Fishman’s 52-yard field goal had the distance but was just wide.

Montclair Prep got even closer later in the quarter, moving to Boron’s 12, but quarterback Keyaan Cook threw an interception in the end zone. Tight end Tom Kilby was wide open but Cook underthrew him.

It wasn’t the only time Cook missed a receiver. The 5-10 sophomore was four for 18 with two interceptions.

“That killed us,” Blackburn said. “The guys were open and he had been doing a good job all year. He just couldn’t do it tonight.”

Montclair Prep, which tied for first place in the Alpha League with Western Christian, finished its season at 6-5. Boron, which finished second in the Desert-Inyo Small League, improved to 9-2.