3-A PLAYOFFS : Chula Vista’s Dream Dashed By Morse

It was a big-screen moment, the kind Hollywood likes to peddle its patrons for a two-hour escape from reality.

This time the reality was Chula Vista--with 46 seconds left and trailing top-ranked Morse, 35-28, in a 3-A San Diego Section semifinal Friday night at Southwestern College--attempting to pull off what would rank as one of the biggest upsets in area high school football in the past decade.

On first and 10 from the Morse 37, with a standing room only crowd of an estimated 8,000 in a complete and glorious uproar, Spartan Brandon Gregg threw a high lob pass in the direction of Neviett Richardson.

Instead, Morse defensive back Wayne Brown monitored its flight, stepped in front and intercepted the pass and, with it, Chula Vista’s final hopes for the tying score.

“It was just over my head. There was nothing I could do about it,” said Richardson, who was double-teamed on the play. “I was just hoping for a tipped ball or something.”

The 35-28 victory sent Morse to its third consecutive section final. The Tigers (13-0) will meet the winner of tonight’s Rancho Buena Vista-Orange Glen game Dec. 8 at San Diego Jack Murphy Stadium.

That fourth-seeded Chula Vista (10-3) got so close was a surprise to many. Morse Coach John Shacklett was so impressed by the Spartans’ effort that he addressed the team after they huddled at game’s end.

“I just wanted to let you know, I was very impressed,” Schacklett said. “I was very excited about the game. I’ll never forget this for the rest of my life.”

And Morse won’t soon forget the unaccustomed game of catch-up it was forced to play by a feisty Chula Vista defense and relentless offense.

No team had held the Tigers scoreless in the first quarter until Friday, when Chula Vista did. And by the half, after the Spartans had scored four touchdowns on five second-quarter offensive plays, two on kickoff returns of 88 and 87 yards by Richardson, Morse was glaring into a 28-13 deficit.

“I knew we could came back,” said Morse quarterback Teddy Lawrence, who was forced to threw more passes Friday then he’s used to--he was 7 of 13 for 109 yards with two interceptions. “I had been practicing throwing more all week, but it’s so different out here. We had to make some adjustments, and I had to settle down.”

What Morse really did was settle back into its patented running game. Workhorse running back Gary Taylor (19 carries for 139 yards) scored on a four-yard run at 6:31 in the third, to pull the Tigers to 28-20 after the extra point kick was good.

Later in the third period, with no time remaining, Taylor took a pitch from Lawrence, ran left and scored from four yards out to make it 28-26. The Tigers wanted two, so Lawrence faked left, then cut up the middle for the conversion and a tied game.

It was appropriate that Lawrence put the finishing touch on the scoring blitz. With 9:18 left in the game, on the first play of the drive, he shot up the middle on a draw and scampered 44-yards for his second touchdown. The extra point kick made it 35-28.

“Teddy Lawrence was the difference in this ballgame,” Chula Vista Coach George Ohnesorgen said. “If he isn’t the player of the year, I don’t know who is.”

Shacklett would probably like to nominate his entire team.

“If a team is as good as this one is supposed to be, you have to have the character to come back. And that’s what we did. Obviously, this is the best team, I’ve coached.”