Reseda Saves Another Game in Final Minute

They call it the Special K at Reseda High and on Friday night, it bailed out the team.

Reseda beat South Gate, 18-13, in a first-round City Section 2-A playoff game on a last-minute touchdown pass to kicker George Konstantinopoulos, the “K” who made the play special.

After the Regents gave up a go-ahead touchdown with 1:36 left, they marched more than half the length of the field and scored the winning points when backup quarterback Mike Shwartzer threw a perfect pass to Konstantinopoulos in the corner of the end zone with 16 seconds remaining.

Reseda next meets Huntington Park, a 7-3 winner over Lincoln on Friday.

“That was a fantastic play by Mike Shwartzer,” Reseda Coach Joel Schaeffer said. “And Konstantinopoulos made a helluva catch.”

Reseda (9-0) had lined up in an apparent attempt for a 25-yard field goal. But just before the snap, Konstantinopoulos sprinted to his right. As Shwartzer, who is the holder on kicks, took the snap, Konstantinopoulos turned downfield toward the corner of the end zone.

Shwartzer’s spiral just cleared a South Gate defender and Konstantinopoulos grabbed the ball and tumbled to the ground.

“This team is just a bunch of heart-stoppers,” Schaeffer said.

Reseda almost suffered a cardiac arrest a minute earlier when South Gate (6-4) took the ball 47 yards in two minutes and scored on a 12-yard halfback option pass to move ahead, 13-12.

Reseda apparently had stopped South Gate from scoring three plays earlier. On second and goal from the four-yard line, Ram quarterback Aldo Gonzalez’s option pitch was wild, causing South Gate to lose 16 yards. One play later, sophomore running back Ivan Wilson took a pitch and connected with Juan Garrido in the back of the end zone.

But Reseda quarterback Coley Kyman rescued the Regents’ season by leading Reseda on the game-winning 56-yard yard drive.

Three weeks ago, Reseda won the Pac 8 League title on the final play of the game by beating University, 13-12, on a 60-yard sack and fumble recovery.

Reseda took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter on its first possession. Fullback Chris Vargas ran 46 yards on a quick burst up the middle, and Ronald Wilkinson scored three plays later from eight yards out on the same play.

Konstantinopoulos’ extra-point attempt failed when the ball was snapped on a bounce to Shartzer.

After South Gate scored to take a 7-6 lead in the second quarter, Reseda came back. Kyman hit James Swindell on a down-and-out pattern and Swindell, after shaking off one tackler, raced down the sideline for a 51-yard score.

Reseda has won its past 12 games going back to last season.