Taft Advances to Final for 1st Time, 20-14

Note to whoever handles athletic equipment inventory at Taft High: You will be one football short at the end of the season.

And the season is not over, thanks in part to linebacker Leo Robateau, possessor of the very same missing football.

Robateau intercepted a pass with 30 seconds to play to seal Taft’s thrilling, 20-14 victory over Chatsworth in a City Section 3-A Division semifinal Friday night at Taft. Taft, which has never played in a City final and finished 0-8-1 last season, will face San Pedro next week in the final.

With Chatsworth (8-5) driving for the tying score, Robateau clinched the victory with his interception. He kept the ball as a souvenir.

“They ain’t getting this back,” he said. “I’m keeping it.”

Trailing by six, Chatsworth, a 3-A finalist last season, drove to the Taft 40 with 37 seconds left. Taft (9-4) had lost four games by a total of nine points, but this one didn’t slip away--because Robateau didn’t let the pass by David Muir slip through his fingers. “I was just thinking, ‘Don’t let it go over my head,’ ” Robateau said. “We sucked it up this time. We got it done.”

Taft moved in front, 20-7, on a 20-yard scoring run by sophomore tailback Jerry Brown with 5 minutes 2 seconds left in the third quarter. Brown finished with 175 yards in 29 carries.

“J.B. is the man,” first-year Taft Coach Troy Starr said.

Chatsworth answered on its next possession, however, pulling to within six points on a one-yard run by tailback Nestor Davila (111 yards in 22 carries) with eight minutes left. The play capped a 16-play, 63-yard drive.

Taft drove to the Chatsworth eight on its next possession, and Starr elected to go for the first down on fourth and two. With 2:39 left, Brown was stopped for a two-yard loss, however, setting the stage for the Chancellors’ final possession.

Trailing, 14-0, Chatsworth scored on a fourth-and-one play with six seconds remaining in the first half. Davila, who had been stopped inches short of the goal line on the previous play, bulled in for the touchdown.

Taft turned a huge break into the game’s first score. On the second play after a fumble recovery by Taft’s Dashon Polk, the Toreadors seemingly returned the favor. Quarterback Mike Ferguson threw deep downfield on a second-and-10 play at the Toreador 44, and the ball was intercepted by defensive back Tuan Bahn, who returned it deep into Taft territory.

However, Chatsworth was called for roughing the passer, Taft retained possession and took a 7-0 lead when Ferguson scored on a fourth-down option keeper from the one on the first play of the second quarter.

Taft increased its lead to 14-0 on a 15-yard sweep by Brown.