Crespi Holds Off Redlands, 7-6, on Sack by Getz

Brian Getz was probably better prepared to spend some time alone on the bench Friday night.

However, an injury put him right smack in the Crespi High starting lineup. A couple of hours later, the junior linebacker found himself all alone in the Redlands backfield.

And the smack he gave Terrier quarterback Julian Burrola squelched a two-point conversion and preserved Crespi’s 7-6 nonleague win at Pierce College.

Redlands (0-1) pulled to within one point with exactly one minute to play, when running back Marcus Rogers scored over right tackle to cap a nine-minute, 20-play drive.

“That thing was a marathon,” Crespi Coach Tim Lins said of the drive. “That’s not the way to do it.”

The Terriers, ranked No. 3 in the Southern Section Division I poll, did not hesitate in their decision to go for the win.

Maybe they should have.

Burrola rolled out on a misdirection play and looked for his fullback in the right flat. What he saw--and felt--was Getz’s face mask in his ribs.

“They blitzed,” Burrola said. “He shot through. I didn’t have a chance. I turned around and he was right there.”

Said Getz: “I saw the hole and just went through. When I got there, I just thought ‘Miiiiinnne!’ “

The teams entered the fourth quarter in a scoreless tie, but the Celts (2-0) found the end zone on the fifth play of the period when sophomore running back Torie Lee scored on a two-yard run over left tackle.

Lee, who had 143 total yards in Crespi’s 21-14 season-opening win over Kahuku, Hawaii, in Honolulu last week, struggled at times against Redlands.

He lost one of his three fumbles and bobbled several more of quarterback Cody Smith’s handoffs. So who do you think Redlands aimed for on a last-minute onside kick.

“I wanted it,” said Lee, who fell on the kick. He rushed for 59 yards in 22 carries. “I was thinking, just hold onto it, baby.”

Cody Smith, who threw three touchdown passes last week, completed 11 of 17 for 79 yards against Redlands. Rogers, Redlands’ returning All-Southern Section running back, was held to 21 yards.