HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL / PLAYOFF ROUNDUP : Faith Baptist Battered in Bid to Repeat, 45-36

Top-seeded Faith Baptist High’s season came to an end Saturday when the Contenders were defeated by Hesperia Christian, 45-36, in an Eight-Man Large Schools Division semifinal at Hesperia High.

Faith Baptist, the defending division champion, had not lost since the 1990 playoffs.

Senior running back Greg Wilson did much of the damage for the host Patriots (9-2), gaining 178 yards in 19 carries. He scored on runs of 41 and 32 yards in the first half and added touchdown runs of 20 and five yards in the second half as Hesperia Christian rebounded from a 24-13 halftime deficit.

After Hesperia Christian cut the deficit to 24-19 in the third quarter, Contender senior James DeCarriere returned the ensuing kickoff 79 yards for a touchdown.

Hesperia Christian again fought back. Wilson scored on a 20-yard run, and a two-point conversion cut the deficit to 30-27.

After a Faith Baptist fumble, Haney threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Breven Clark with 10 minutes 51 seconds left that put Hesperia Christian on top for good, 33-30.

Judd Granzow, a sophomore, completed 13 of 31 passes for 161 yards and ran for four touchdowns for Faith Baptist (10-1), which was outgained, 438 yards to 256.