HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Hart Loses to Esperanza in Final 3 Seconds

In a game of big plays Friday night, Esperanza High quarterback Keith McDonald saved the best for last.

McDonald connected with Reid Pullen on a seven-yard pass with three seconds left to lift top-seeded Esperanza past Hart, 38-35, in a Southern Section Division III semifinal playoff game at Valencia High in Placentia.

“The play worked the way it was designed,” said McDonald, who completed 15 of 23 passes for 254 yards and three touchdowns.

“I was hot and we had two minutes left. I felt that we could do it. It was the last hurrah. Either we would win or we would go home crying.”

Scott Blanchard had given fourth-seeded Hart (9-4) a 35-31 lead on a 10-yard run with 2 minutes 10 seconds remaining for his fourth touchdown of the game.

Esperanza (13-0) started its winning drive at its 34. McDonald threw passes of 14, 22 and eight yards to Jason Long, Ryan Corbett and Jarod Smith to move the ball to the Hart 21, but the Aztecs needed a four-yard gain on fourth and one by Garrick Emry with 33 seconds left to sustain the drive.

Hart quarterback Ryan Connors passed for a career-high 325 yards, eclipsing the 200-yard mark for the eighth time this season. Connors, a junior, completed 18 of 36 passes and two touchdowns and finished the season with 2,833 yards.

The teams combined for 764 yards with Esperanza outgaining Hart, 387-377.

“We didn’t have a defense for them,” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said.

Hart limited Smith, who had rushed for 685 yards in the past three games, to 34 yards, but Smith picked up seven yards on a scoring run to put the Aztecs ahead, 24-21, midway through the third period.

After a scoreless third period, Blanchard made a 20-yard touchdown reception to put Hart back on top, 28-24, with 10:17 remaining.

On its next series, Esperanza drove 72 yards in nine plays for the go-ahead score. McDonald hooked up on an 18-yard touchdown pass with Corbett on fourth and nine.

Blanchard caught four passes for 150 yards and Brian Bernier had six for 88.