Big-Play Muir Stops Crescenta Valley

Four plays.

Muir High looked unstoppable on just four plays Friday night against Crescenta Valley.

But they were enough.

The Mustangs scored on plays of 89, 64, 73 and 58 yards, beating Crescenta Valley, 27-0, at Arcadia High.

Otherwise, Muir’s offense generated only 98 yards.

The loss means Muir (7-1, 3-0 in the Pacific League) probably will win the league title and that Crescenta Valley (7-1, 2-1) will be fighting for second.

After the game, Muir Coach Jim Brownfield made his way across the field to tell the Falcons he admired the way they played.

He was not alone.

“I thought we played really hard,” Crescenta Valley Coach Jim Beckenhauer said. “They’ve just got great athletes. They turn a well-blocked play into six points.”

Muir quarterback Andy Colbert did just that on two occasions. Colbert, who rushed for 200 yards and two touchdowns in 11 carries, went 89 yards for a score on the Mustangs’ first play from scrimmage. He added a touchdown of 58 yards on his final carry.

Saladin McCullough provided the rest of Muir’s attack. He returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown and added a 73-yard run from scrimmage. McCullough finished with 113 yards in 17 attempts.

“You can’t practice against that kind of speed unless you have it, and not many teams do,” Crescenta Valley linebacker Paul Lopez said. “Plus, (Muir’s) discipline makes them so tough.”

Colbert’s first score and McCullough’s punt return came the first two times Muir touched the ball, separated only by a three-downs-and-a-punt possession by Crescenta Valley.

The scores, one of which was followed by a missed extra-point attempt, gave Muir a 13-0 lead after only 3 minutes 12 seconds had elapsed.

As a result, the Falcons took to the air, so to speak, throwing the ball more often than they had in the past. Quarterback David Fielder completed seven of 21 attempts for 135 yards; senior Brett Miller caught four passes for 72 yards.

Crescenta Valley’s ground attack was provided by Lopez, who rushed for 67 yards in eight carries.

Muir gained a total of 318 yards, more than twice the average allowed by the Falcon defense through the first seven games.