Capistrano Valley First at the Finish : Division II: Mikler’s field goal with 18 seconds left is worth 17-15 victory and ends Paramount’s dominance.

Tomek Mikler spent most of the week preparing for Capistrano Valley High School’s Southern Section Division II championship game by trying to kick a football over the backstop on the school’s baseball field.

Such is the life of a kicker. But Saturday night, Tomek kicked Paramount out of the title game and ended the Pirates’ 21-game winning streak with a 22-yard field goal that gave Capistrano Valley a 17-15 victory in front of 9,500 fans in Santa Ana Stadium.

Capistrano Valley (12-2) drove 81 yards with 2:11 remaining to set up Mikler’s game-winner with 18 seconds left and end Paramount’s reign as the most dominant team in the Southern Section over the past three years.

Mikler lined up his kicking tee only five yards behind the line of scrimmage because his normal snapper, Tim Plewe, was injured. Mikler barely got the ball over the outstretched arms of Paramount’s defensive front.

Capistrano Valley survived two last-second pass attempts by Paramount, and then the celebration began. It was Capistrano Valley’s second section title; the Cougars won the Central Conference championship in 1980.

Paramount (13-1) appeared to have wrapped up a third consecutive division title when tailback Leon Neal scored on a nine-yard run with 2:16 left. But the play was nullified by a holding call, and a fourth-down play fizzled because of an illegal receiver, giving Capistrano Valley a chance for an improbable victory.

“We slowed them down just enough and then stopped them when he had to,” said Eric Patton, Capistrano Valley coach. “But I didn’t think we could stop them, I really didn’t.”

Paramount overcame a 14-3 halftime deficit with two long, time-consuming drives. Seldom-used running back Rolando Avila scored two touchdowns on two-yard runs to give Paramount a 15-14 lead, but the Pirates failed on both conversion plays after kicker Alphonso Bigelow broke his ankle early in the third quarter.

Bigelow’s injury proved to be costly. Ken Sutch, Paramount coach, said he would have normally gone for a field goal when Neal’s touchdown was nullified, but the Pirates didn’t have a backup.

“I still thought we could win the game at that point,” Sutch said. “They have to drive all the way down the field, and they did it.”

Paramount dominated the first two quarters but was stunned by big plays at the beginning and end of the half.

Tailback Jeremy Brion caught Paramount’s defense off-guard early, sneaking out of the backfield all alone and teaming with quarterback Tony Solliday for a 74-yard touchdown pass. Brion caught the ball at midfield with no defender within 10 yards.

Reserve fullback Allan Perlas came up with the second big play for the Cougars with 18 seconds left in the half, running 51 yards on a draw play to set up Solliday’s second touchdown pass of the game and 30th of the season, to Dave Poltl from eight yards out. Capistrano Valley had flooded Paramount’s zone to the weak side, and Poltl somehow was left unprotected.

Capistrano Valley had 269 yards in offense in the game, but 125 came on the two big plays. Solliday didn’t complete a pass in the second half until the final drive, but he finished with 161 yards passing, completing nine of 18 attempts.

Paramount totaled 374 yards in offense and 24 first downs but had only a 31-yard field goal by Bigelow until the second half. Neal had 157 yards in 23 carries, including 96 yards in the second half, but Capistrano Valley managed to keep him out of the end zone.