Footman’s Late Touchdown Salvages Victory for Esperanza

On paper, it seemed like a playoff mismatch. But on the field, Huntington Beach versus Esperanza turned out to be a classic match.

As expected, Esperanza won, but in very unexpected fashion. The Aztecs needed a late 37-yard touchdown run from Dahrin Footman to pull out a 28-21 victory in a Division II playoff game Friday night at Valencia High School.

Esperanza, which finished second in the Empire League, entered the game 9-1 and will meet Dominguez next Friday in the semifinals. Huntington Beach, an at-large team from the Sunset League, was 6-4.

“I didn’t expect them to be that tough,” Footman said. “They are the hardest-hitting team we played against all year.”

The game had plenty of stars. For Esperanza, Bill Ross rushed for 155 yards and three touchdowns and Footman added 137 yards. For Huntington Beach, quarterback Jonathan Wimbish passed for 248 yards and a touchdown. He also caught a touchdown pass. The Oilers’ Tony Gonzales caught seven passes for 161 yards and a touchdown.

In the end, though, all that mattered was Esperanza’s final drive. After Huntington Beach scored 13 unanswered points in the third quarter to tie the score, 21-21, Esperanza turned to its strong running game late in the fourth quarter and marched 82 yards for the game-winning touchdown. The last 37 yards were provided by Footman.

“I just said, ‘Let’s get the ball inside the 30 and get a field goal,’ ” Esperanza Coach Gary Meek said about what he told his team before the big drive. “Footman really came through.”

For Huntington Beach Coach George Pascoe, it was a loss, but the Oilers earned respect.

“We proved we can play with the best in the county,” Pascoe said.