Saugus Catches Royal in Final Quarter, 21-20 : High school football: Centurions win on late safety and overcome a 20-7 deficit in a nonleague game.

In a football game full of crazy plays, improbable turns of events and emotional swings, Saugus High upended Royal, 21-20, in a nonleague game Friday night at College of the Canyons.

Saugus (2-0) trailed, 20-7, early in the fourth quarter after Royal (1-1) scored on two of its first three possessions of the second half. At that point, Saugus Coach Jack Bowman wasn’t sure his team could come back.

“Honestly,” he said, “I had doubts.”

But a 31-yard touchdown pass from Greg Marquez to Jeff Larsen and Chris Johnson’s 35-yard scoring run made it 20-19 and quickly changed Bowman’s mood. With five minutes to play, the Centurions lined up for a two-point conversion.

But Marquez threw too softly on a misdirection pass intended for Lonney McCoy, and it was intercepted by Royal’s Rommel Butler.

But Butler, thinking he was in the end zone, downed the ensuing kickoff at the two-yard-line. On the first play from scrimmage, Saugus defenders Matt Speranza and Eric Grupp nailed Royal running back Mike Reddington in the end zone for a safety and the winning points. “There’s no quit at Saugus High School,” Bowman shouted afterward. “The kids refused to quit. The offense got up, the defense got up.”

Saugus’ defense appeared confused in the third quarter, though, especially after the Centurions were penalized 15 yards for inadvertently touching a punted ball. Saugus also was forced to re-kick, giving Royal good field position at its 49. Then, on first down, Jerome Lee (six carries, 64 yards) bolted 51 yards for a touchdown.

Two possessions later, Royal capitalized on a face-mask penalty and a 13-yard run by Reddington (24 carries, 106 yards rushing) to score again--Reddington going in on a one-yard run.

Nothing was decided in the first half, with both teams heading to the locker room locked in a 7-7 tie but thinking how it might have been different.

The Centurions moved the ball quickly upfield minutes after the Highlanders tied the score on Reddington’s one-yard run to open the second quarter.

Marquez (six for 18, 130 yards) hit Tim Maier on consecutive crossing patterns for gains of 19 and 13 yards, the second completion putting the ball at the Royal 20. But Maier didn’t have the ball when the play ended because Royal linebacker Kevin Musser ripped it out of his hands.

Reddington’s turnover with 2:06 to play before halftime proved even more costly for Royal. He fumbled going into the end zone.