Kearny Hangs on For 14-13 Victory

Kearny spared no suspense Friday in its second-round San Diego Section 2-A football playoff game against San Marcos.

Kearny spared no points, either.

The Komets’ defense halted a fourth-quarter San Marcos drive, and Kearny held on for a 14-13 victory in front of 3,000 at Mesa College.

With the victory, Kearny chased a few demons for the City Western League. The league’s teams have had great success in the 2-A playoffs each year when they are not facing an opponent from the North County. Unfortunately, Kearny usually faces one no later than the second round.

Since 1979, eight teams from the Avocado League have reached the 2-A final. Four have won. In the same span, only one Western League team has gotten that far, and lost. So, with those numbers blaring at Kearny, the predictable nearly happened again Friday night.

Kearny (10-1-1), which had been ousted from the playoffs in the first round the past two years, had first and goal at the two-yard line as they clung to that 14-13 lead late in the fourth quarter and failed to score. When the Knights (7-4-1) took over at their six with 4:14 remaining and got a 41-yard run to midfield from running back Mark Frazier, Kearny Coach Willie Matson could see it all happening again.

“When he popped that (run),” said Matson with a sigh, “I said, ‘Golly, gee.’ ”

Frazier, a junior who carried 18 times for 133 yards, led a wishbone attack that totaled 189 yards. The option often confused Kearny’s defense, but just when it counted most the Komets clamped down. They threw quarterback Lance Gallegos for a two-yard loss, then, on fourth and three at Kearny’s 47 with 2:19 left, the Komets stood Frazier up at the line of scrimmage. Frazier was stopped a yard short.

“We did a heck of a job on the quarterback,” Matson said. “But you’re not going to hold down a guy like Frazier the whole game. The defense did a hell of a job.”

After Kearny forced San Marcos to punt on the game-opening drive, the Komets marched 80 yards on 17 plays, chewing up 8:26 on the clock, to open the scoring. Darnay Scott scored on a four-yard run to make it 6-0 after the extra-point kick failed. The two key plays on the drive were pass completions by quarterback Sam Page, who had been struggling. Page completed nine of 16 passes to five receivers for 108 yards.

San Marcos took a 7-6 lead with 2:40 left before halftime on Frazier’s nine-yard run. But with 1:17 left, Kearny answered on a one-yard plunge by Page, who made it 14-7 when he passed to Jemal Lucas for two points.

The Knights scored on a two-yard run midway through the third quarter on Frazier’s two-yard run, but failed the tie the game when Bryan Wright’s kick for the point-after was wide right.