La Quinta Survives a Wide-Open Contest With Valencia

La Quinta High School’s 19-14 victory over host Valencia in the first round of the Southern Section Division VI playoffs was a little hard to figure.

It was wacky. It was unpredictable. It was definitely not a game to tape and sell as an instructional video for youngsters.

La Quinta (7-4) advances to play Newport Harbor in the second round next week. Valencia (9-1-1) will miss the division’s championship for the first time in four seasons.

La Quinta didn’t so much win as survive.

Twice Valencia had the ball inside the La Quinta five-yard line in the final 2:05 and failed to score the go-ahead touchdown.

The Tigers were stopped on fourth down at the one, after having first and goal at the three. Then, after La Quinta fumbled the ball right back to Valencia on the next play, Valencia fumbled. La Quinta defensive end Willard Cephas covered running back Scott Wilson’s fumble in the end zone and the Aztecs ran out the clock.

La Quinta also survived its own arsenal of trick plays, a few of which worked and at least one of which nearly cost the Aztecs the game.

The biggest success was a first-quarter flea-flicker that covered 38 yards and set up La Quinta’s first touchdown, a one-yard dive by Trent Julian.

The biggest flop was an incomplete pass on a fake punt late in the game that gave Valencia the ball on its 45. That set up Valencia’s first ill-fated try at a go-ahead score.

“Oh, God,” La Quinta Coach Roger Takahashi said. “I thought I was going to kill myself for that fake punt.

“We came into the game thinking that we’re not going to hold anything back. We threw everything at them but the kitchen sink.”

Fortunately for Takahashi, Valencia was unable to capitalize often on the Aztecs’ unorthodox play-calling.

“The kids got me out of it,” he said. “The defense had a great game. Jim Hirt, the Aztecs’ defensive coordinator, had them set all week.”

La Quinta, using all manner of trick plays, scored on its first two possessions to take a 13-0 first quarter lead. Julian, who rushed for 77 yards in 13 carries and caught 10 passes for 58 yards, scored on a pair of one-yard dives.

Quarterback Richard Weaver, who completed 20 of 28 passes for 234 yards and one touchdown, kept Valencia defense off balance with his quick screen passes. He added a three-yard scoring pass to Todd Harvey before halftime.

Sergio Ortiz (161 yards in 23 carries) scored on one- and two-yard runs but Valencia still trailed, 19-14, at halftime.

But that was as close as Valencia could get as La Quinta’s defense came up with the big plays on its own goal line.