Fumble Lets Cavers Rally to Tie Saints

It has been nearly 20 years since old Balboa Stadium was demolished, and with it went a lot of San Diego High football history. The stadium has been rebuilt, but it bears no resemblance to its renowned predecessor. It looks like a regular high school football field.

But after Friday’s 6-6 tie between San Diego and St. Augustine, it would appear that a ghost or two from the Cavers’ glorious past still lurks there. St. Augustine (2-2-1), ahead 6-0 and running out the clock, fumbled with 1:30 remaining in the game.

The Cavers, who were previously unable to move the ball, scored.

With the crowd going wild and 46 seconds left, running back Tony Bratcher scampered eight yards on a sweep to tie the game. But just when it looked like the Cavers (4-0-1) had pulled off a stunning victory, kicker Somsack Monsavath missed wide left on the point-after attempt.

A tie proved to be a tough pill to swallow for both teams.

“The kick was close, but those things happen,” San Diego Coach Art Anderson said. “We’ll take (the tie). This is the best team we’ve played so far this year. They took it to us.”

“We should have beat them,” said Aaron Buckner, the Saints’ junior quarterback. “They’re a good team, but we’re a much better ballclub. We’ve seen tougher defenses.”

None of that mattered after running back John Mozerka, after taking a short pass from Buckner, was hit and fumbled at his own 11. Tyrone Blair recovered, setting up the San Diego touchdown.

It was from their 17-yard line that the Saints marched for their only score, with nine seconds left in the second quarter. The 17-play drive was capped by a one-yard pass from Buckner to tight end Troy Gorostiza. But to keep it going, St. Augustine resorted to trickery. Buckner passed to split end Jonathan Santos, who pitched the ball to Mozerka for a 20-yard gain on the first play.

Four plays later, on fourth and three at their own 46, the Saints faked a punt and sent Craig Da Luz loose on a 13-yard gain.

The Cavers, whose defense--ranked No. 1 in the county--had allowed an average of 3.2 points through four games, twice stopped St. Augustine on downs and forced two turnovers in the second half.

The problem was the Caver offense, which had lost running back Tuele Sukumu to a one-game suspension, couldn’t move the ball. Before Bratcher’s scoring run, San Diego had only 79 yards of offense and had three turnovers.

3 The Cavers had a few near misses on special teams. Marlin McWilson went 55 yards, nearly breaking free for a touchdown, as St. Augustine kicked off after it scored. After a 57-yard punt by Pablo Ornelas, he had to drag Dominic Glammarinaro down to prevent a touchdown.

Ornelas later made a diving interception. “I knew time was running out,” Ornelas said. “I thought we could get the ball back and score.”