Southern Conference : Los Alamitos Vaults to Victory, 7-6 : Mission Viejo Winds Up a ‘Foot’ Short of the Title Game

Los Alamitos High School was perfectly willing to play all night if need be in its Southern Conference semifinal game against Mission Viejo Friday night.

John Barnes, Los Alamitos coach, said so after the Griffins beat the Diablos, 7-6, in overtime in front of 2,000 in LeBard Stadium.

The Griffins will play El Toro, a 13-12 victor over Santa Ana, in the conference championship game Saturday night at a site to be determined.

A swirling rainstorm limited both team’s offensive game plan to a handoff, three yards and a plop in the mud.

The field was in good shape during pregame warm ups, but just before the kickoff the rain fell harder, turning the field into a quagmire.

“We were going to stay here all night,” Barnes said. “At halftime my assistants were saying we should try to throw long passes. We should run wide. I said, ‘No, we’re not going to find a way to lose it.’ ”

Bill Crow, Mission Viejo’s coach, adopted a similar strategy and the teams went into overtime tied 0-0.

The California tiebreaker gives each team four downs to score starting at its opponents’ 10-yard line.

Los Alamitos won the toss and tried first. The Griffins (12-1) scored when Marcus Garcia, who gained 55 yards in 20 carries, vaulted into the end zone from a half-yard away on fourth down. Eric Lange kicked the extra point for a 7-0 lead.

Quarterback Troy Kopp threw to running back Eric Ekdahl along the left sideline making it 7-6.

Before Ekdahl could try the extra point, however, the Diablos (11-2) were penalized for delay of game. The penalty moved the ball back to the 8-yard line.

Kicking from 25-yards out, Ekdahl skimmed his foot along the ground just before he met the ball. The ball barely sailed over the Griffin line, landing short and wide right giving Los Alamitos the victory and its first championship berth since 1977.

“The pressure got to him, I guess.” said Tim Wynn, Los Alamitos defensive end. “It would have gotten to me.”

Wynn stopped Mission Viejo’s only chance to win in regulation when he blocked Ekdahl’s 22-yard field goal with 1:55 left. Wynn, positioned on the outside left of the Griffin line, broke through untouched, stretched out his 6-foot 3-inch frame and blocked the kick.

“Usually guys from the outside aren’t fast enough to get there in time,” Wynn said. “I’m not that fast. I just got lucky.”

Said Barnes: “That’s something we practice. That didn’t happen by accident.”

The field goal try was set up when the Diablos’ Sean Foster recovered Garcia’s fumble at the Griffin 29. The Diablos drove to the Griffin six, but in three plays lost four yards.

Los Alamitos jumped off side on fourth down at the 10, moving the ball to the 5, setting up Ekdahl’s 22-yard try.

“We hoped for a turnover,” Crow said. “We got one down there, but we got the field goal blocked. They (Los Alamitos) just made the plays when they had to.”