Completion Gets Best of Tustin

Though London McBride managed just one completed pass, it was enough to beat Tustin.

McBride’s 23-yard touchdown pass to tight end Eric Richardson on fourth down with 1:09 remaining gave Wilmington Banning a stunning 19-16 victory over host Tustin Friday night.

Tustin (2-1) gave the Pilots two chances to score in the final six minutes before McBride delivered the game-winner.

After stopping McBride on fourth-and-goal at the Tustin 3 with 5:02 remaining, the Tillers got possession and had an opportunity to clinch the victory. However, they failed to make a first down and were forced to punt. Zack Matthews’ 14-yard punt gave Banning, which took possession at the Tustin 24 with 2:32 remaining, a second chance. Three plays later, McBride, who completed one pass on six attempts, found Richardson in the end zone for the winner.

Tustin drove to the Pilot 37 with seven seconds left, but Eric Whitfield’s interception ended the threat.

“We had no offense,” Tustin Coach Tim Ellis said. “The defense was on the field all night.”

The Pilots finished with 302 yards in total offense, 279 on the ground. Tustin had 147 overall. Jermaine Claxton led Banning in rushing with a game-high 104 yards in 15 carries.

Tustin rallied from a 12-point deficit in the first quarter. Tustin’s Lamar Barrett returned a kickoff 99 yards for a score to cut Banning’s lead to 12-7 at the end of the first quarter.

In the second, Kevin Timone’s eight-yard run gave Tustin a 13-12 lead with 1:09 remaining. Matthews added a field goal late in the third quarter for a 16-12 lead.