2-A SEMIFINAL : Lincoln Shocks San Pasqual With Late Kickoff Return

Wow.

Lincoln was finished. San Pasqual’s Cullen Owen had scored a one-yard touchdown to give his team a 35-32 lead with just 34 seconds remaining Friday night in a section 2-A semifinal playoff game at Mesa College.

Before San Pasqual kicked off, Lincoln deep man Victor Dean said a prayer.

It was answered. Dean took the kick at the 23, ran straight ahead, broke two tackles and headed toward the left sideline. After turning the corner, he went all the way untouched to steal the lead, 38-35, the game, and a berth in next week’s San Diego Section championship game with the winner of tonight’s meeting between Ramona and El Camino.

“I’m starting to get a few gray hairs here,” Lincoln Coach Vic Player said, noting that it was the second week in a row that Dean had returned a kick for a late touchdown to put the Hornets back in a game. “I’m 46, and I haven’t had many, but the last couple weeks, they’re starting to sprout.”

Last week, Dean returned a punt 79 yards to tie Grossmont, 25-25, with about 1 1/2 minutes left in a quarterfinal game. Lincoln won in a California tiebreaker.

It was odd that Dean would burn San Pasqual at that point on a kickoff return. At the start of the game, San Pasqual chose not to kick it to him and opened with a successful onside kick.

That also worked to give San Pasqual the early momentum. After the first quarter, it led, 14-0. Lincoln ran only five plays, gaining 22 yards, in the quarter.

But San Pasqual either chose not to continue with its gimmicks or ran out of tricks in the second quarter, when Lincoln started its comeback.

The Hornets drove for touchdowns three times in the second quarter, twice in the final 29 seconds.

Doug Boyd, who finished the half with 61 yards on six carries, was the first to score, sweeping right from 10 yards out on first down with 5:44 showing.

San Pasqual came right back with a touchdown, a fast one on a 52-yard run by Roger Hill on a quick-trap play.

No problem. The Hornets mounted a nine-play, 66-yard drive, finished by Charles Brown, who took a draw 12 yards.

That came with 29 seconds remaining. With 21 seconds left, Lincoln had the ball back after Peter Thrift recovered an Owen fumble at the San Pasqual 10.

Two plays later, Brown had his second touchdown in 28 seconds, this coming on a one-yard run up the middle to make it 21-20, San Pasqual.

After San Pasqual took a 28-20 lead late in the third quarter, Lincoln again went to work.

A halfback option from Dean to Dwayne McAfee made it 28-26 with 9:30 to go, and a one-yard run with 2:34 remaining gave Brown his third touchdown of the night and put Lincoln up for the first time, 32-28.

That’s when San Pasqual came back with a 10-play, 58-yard drive, finished off by Owen.

San Pasqual celebrated. How could the Eagles have known their celebration was premature?