Cork’s Stop Preserves Another Valencia Title : Division VI: Tigers defeat Duarte, 23-15, to earn second consecutive championship. Riggins carries for 122 yards.

There was Mike Mebane’s 30-yard interception for a touchdown.

There was Matt Estes’ fumble recovery and blocked punt, and there was Jerry Stewart’s fumble recovery.

But Valencia’s 23-15 victory over Duarte in the Southern Section Division VI championship game Friday night came down to the simplest of defensive plays.

A tackle.

Bryan Cork, a sophomore reserve defensive end, stopped Duarte quarterback Greg Ainsworth for a two-yard loss on fourth down at the Valencia 45-yard line with 1 minute 56 seconds left to preserve the Tigers’ second consecutive title and third in six years.

“Can we win three in a row?” Valencia running back-linebacker Chris Draft said after the game. “Back-to-back-to-back? I think we can.”

Cork’s tackle was one of several outstanding defensive plays for unseeded Valencia (11-3), which beat three seeded teams--top-seeded Charter Oak, fourth-seeded Whittier and second-seeded Duarte (12-1)--on the way to the title.

Ace Riggins, who rushed for a game-high 122 yards in 13 carries, gave Valencia a 23-7 lead when he slipped a tackle and broke an 80-yard touchdown run with 2:39 left in the third quarter.

“He (Riggins) went for it,” Draft said. “It was open all day and he took it.

“That sealed it for us because the defense was playing so well.”

But it almost wasn’t enough.

Duarte quarterback Greg Ainsworth, who pulled his left hamstring on the first play from scrimmage, threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Joe Barnes and followed with a two-point conversion run to cut it to 23-15 with 5:24 remaining.

The Falcons got the ball back at the Valencia 45 with 3:41 left when Barnes recovered a Riggins fumble.

But three plays gained nothing, and Cork stopped Ainsworth to give Valencia the ball--and the title.

“Our defense was phenomenal,” said Valencia quarterback Rob Petko, who scored on a one-yard run for Valencia’s first touchdown. “Duarte’s quarterback was great, an All-American. He played great, but our defense stuffed them all night.”

Duarte lost Ainsworth, who has rushed for 1,420 yards this season, on the first play of the game. He broke free on a 20-yard run, but pulled the hamstring and missed the rest of the half.

“Our offense is built around Greg,” Duarte Coach Bob Rau said. “We couldn’t execute our offense without him. That’s no excuse. Valencia played great, and we played a courageous game.”

Sophomore Sunti Petchpradub had a rough start, fumbling on two of his first three plays. Stewart recovered the second fumble at the Duarte 23-yard line, setting up Petko’s touchdown run.

Petchpradub drove Duarte to the Valencia 10 before he fumbled for the third time, and Estes recovered for Valencia.

On the ensuing possession, Petko threw over the middle to tight end Paul Tamblyn, but Duarte defensive back Nathan Jacquet intercepted it at the Valencia 27 and returned it for a touchdown to tie it, 7-7, with 10:09 left in the second quarter.

Duarte gambled and lost midway through the second quarter when the Falcons lined up in a regular formation on a fourth and eight at the Valencia 46.

Petchpradub pitched the ball to Jacquet, whose punt attempt was blocked by Estes. That led to a 27-yard field goal by Luis Adrian Garcia that gave Valencia a 10-7 halftime lead.

*

D--Jacquet 27 interception return (Brown kick)

V--FG Garcia 27

V--Mebane 30 interception return (kick failed)

V--Riggins 80 run (Garcia kick)

D--Barnes 15 pass from Ainsworth (Ainsworth run)

LEADING RUSHERS--D: Ainsworth 11-74; V: Riggins 13-122. LEADING PASSERS--D: Ainsworth 3-6-1, 38; V: Petko 4-9-1, 24. LEADING RECEIVERS--D: Jacquet 2-18; V: Riggins 2-9.

Attendance--4,000.