Canyon Goes For Tie, Gets Loss Instead

As expected, Quartz Hill and Canyon highs staged a taut, defense-dominated, down-to-the-wire game in a Golden League opener at Quartz Hill on Friday night.

What was not expected between these two hard-hitting and well-disciplined teams was the way it ended: With just four seconds left, a botched point-after-touchdown snap was the difference in Quartz Hill’s 14-13 win.

“Hey, we’ll take it, huh?” Quartz Hill Coach John Albee roared amid celebrating players.

After Canyon’s Mike Torres barely nudged the ball in for a score from the one-yard line, Cowboy Coach Harry Welch uncharacteristically opted for a tie and sent Matt George out for the kick.

A high snap still seemed catchable, but the ball slipped through holder Chad Engbrecht’s hands. George alertly picked it up, but his attempt to run around end was stuffed by a party of blue-jerseyed players.

And with that seemingly simple play over, Quartz Hill (4-2) had beaten Canyon, handing the Cowboys (3-2-1) only their third league loss in the past 10 years.

The botched snap preserved hero status for Quartz Hill tailback Erik Thomas, whose 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter broke a 7-7 tie and capped a brilliant night. The senior gained 182 yards in just 11 carries and scored both Rebel touchdowns. Leon Hudson’s point-after kick with 5 minutes 14 seconds left provided the decisive point.

“I had a strong feeling it was going to be a close game,” a jubilant Thomas said. “And things weren’t working that well for me in the pre-league. So I just worked on it all week, worked on hitting the hole real quick.”

On his touchdown run, Thomas blasted through the middle with a strength unseen in his first five games. But the Canyon game, he insisted, was different.

“I just started high-stepping it,” Thomas said.

Canyon rebounded after Thomas’ run to mount a 74-yard scoring drive, but the Cowboys came up one play short.

“I thought we had worked so hard to get (the game) back,” Welch said of his decision to kick. “I felt it was a better move to come away with a tie.”

The dramatic ending overshadowed the penalty-marred game. Quartz Hill was flagged for 110 yards, Canyon 125.

Although Quartz Hill dominated the line of scrimmage in the first half, the Rebels settled for a 7-7 halftime score.

On its first possession, Quartz Hill marched impressively, moving 74 yards in 11 plays, eight of them rushing. Thomas capped the drive with a nine-yard run, and Quartz Hill led, 7-0.

After forcing a Canyon punt, Quartz Hill moved the ball to the Cowboy 15. But two procedure penalties and a sack moved the Rebels back to the 27, where a fourth-down pass fell incomplete.

Still, Canyon could muster little offense. The stingy Rebel run defense allowed the Cowboys just 14 yards on the ground in the first half and forced Canyon to turn the ball over on downs on the Rebel 35 late in the first half.

But on Quartz Hill’s next play, Jake Haro’s pass was intercepted by Chris Spahr at the Rebel 44. Canyon took to the air and scored on a nine-yard pass from Engbrecht to Jim Zopelis with 34 seconds left. Canyon did not run the ball once on the possession.