SOUTHERN SECTION FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES : Desert-Mountain Conference : Deep Passes Sink Chaminade’s Hopes for Title

Woodbridge High stunned Chaminade with two long completions in the final minute as the Warriors claimed the Desert-Mountain Conference championship with a 13-10 victory Friday night at Irvine High.

Wide receiver Dax Jordan made a falling grab of quarterback Fred Schweer’s arching spiral for a 32-yard touchdown with 50 seconds to play.

Two plays earlier, faced with a third and 23 at the Woodbridge 27-yard line, Schweer lofted a 46-yard bomb to tailback John Rios. And, incredibly, after shaking off a sluggish first-half performance and a 6-0 deficit to take a 10-6 lead, Chaminade had let the game slip away before first-year Coach Rich Lawson realized what had happened.

“This hurts,” said Lawson who, like most of his players, battled tears. “I just don’t know what to say.”

Tailback-linebacker Tim Lavin, who rushed for 66 yards in 22 carries--only the third time this season he failed to garner at least 100 yards--blamed himself for the completion to Rios.

“He was my man,” Lavin said. “I had him. I saw the ball, but then my knee buckled.”

Jordan, who caught 3 passes for 72 yards, snaked between defenders Jonas Escalera and Mark Matula for the touchdown catch.

“I just slipped,” Escalera said.

Said Matula: “I saw his eyes get big. I didn’t see the ball, but I knew he was about to catch it.”

The shocking loss ruined a strong second-half effort for the Eagles. After replacing starter Greg Baumgartner on Chaminade’s second possession of the third quarter, senior quarterback Dave Morrison led two scoring drives.

The first one ended with a 37-yard field goal by Chris Noonan that capped a 60-yard march and cut the deficit to 6-3.

The Eagles then marched 58 yards in 10 plays to take a 10-6 lead early in the fourth quarter. Morrison, who completed 5 of 9 passes for 62 yards, sustained the drive with a 14-yard completion to Brady Mitchell and a 15-yard pass to Sean Warner. Joe Norton carried the final yard.

Woodbridge controlled the line of scrimmage in the first half, holding Chaminade to 34 yards.

Rios, who led all ballcarriers with 71 yards in 19 carries, carried six times for 37 yards on the Warriors’ opening drive, which began at Chaminade’s 49. Keith Boothroyd capped the drive with a 23-yard field goal.

Chaminade later extended a Woodbridge drive by roughing Boothroyd on a punt. The Warriors capitalized on the opportunity, Boothroyd kicking a 24-yard field goal to give his team a 6-0 halftime lead.