PREP FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Valencia Rallies for 16-7 Win : Tigers Beat CdM, Advancing Again to the Semifinals

Valencia High School found out Friday night that the road to the Central Conference championship is not an easy one.

Taking advantage of two fourth-quarter turnovers, the Tigers came from behind to defeat Corona del Mar, 16-7, in a quarterfinal playoff game at Placentia.

The victory marks the fourth time in the past five years that Valencia (10-2), the conference’s second-seeded team, has advanced to the conference’s semifinal game. Next week, the Tigers will meet Pacifica. Corona del Mar, Sea View League champion, has made the playoffs 9 of the last 10 years but had its five-game winning streak snapped by Valencia.

Defense played an important role in Valencia’s victory. Defensive back Guy Shepard recovered a fumble inside the Tigers’ 15-yard line at the start of the fourth quarter to stop a Corona del Mar drive. Later in the fourth quarter, with 9:22 remaining, defensive back Mike Edwards stepped in front of a Sea King receiver, intercepted a pass and raced 68 yards for a touchdown, giving the Tigers a 16-7 lead.

Corona del Mar (6-6) took a 6-0 lead midway through the second quarter on an 80-yard pass from Mitch Melbon to Kevin Maas. Maas caught 4 passes for 125 yards.

Valencia’s Paul Rivera connected on a 26-yard field goal to cut the lead to 7-3 just before the half. Valencia took its first lead of the game, 10-7, with about two minutes to play in the third quarter when quarterback Robert Navarette scored on a 3-yard run.