Crespi Beats San Clemente by a Foot in Tiebreaker

Crespi High’s football team really is more than just tailback Shaun Williams.

It also is quarterback Dave Lins.

And kicker Mark Herz.

Lins rallied the Celts from a 14-point fourth quarter deficit and Herz kicked a 26-yard field goal to give Crespi a 24-21 victory over San Clemente in a tiebreaker Friday night in a Division I quarterfinal playoff game at Pierce College.

The Celts (8-4) advance to meet Eisenhower in the semifinals. San Clemente, making its first playoff appearance since 1979 this season, ends its season 9-3.

The Tritons led, 21-7, early in the fourth quarter, but Lins, who completed 19 of 28 passes for 249 yards, brought his team back.

“Dave always had that in him,” said Williams, whose lack of production early forced Lins to pass.

Williams, who had gained more than 1,600 yards in the season and more than 200 in each of the last two games, had just 38 yards in the first half. He finished with 112.

Williams scored touchdowns on runs of eight and three yards, capping drives of 59 and 82 yards. The tying score came with 2 minutes 57 seconds to play in regulation.

In the tiebreaker, in which each team takes the ball with a first and goal at the 10, Crespi won the coin toss and elected to play defense.

The Celts held San Clemente to two yards and Triton kicker Mario Garcia pushed a 26-yard field goal attempt wide right.

The Celts ran three plays, gaining two yards, and sent Herz out to kick the winning field goal. Earlier, Herz had his first missed field-goal attempt of the season.

San Clemente tailback Allen Vaughan, who for the second consecutive week lined up at quarterback as a decoy for the first series, ran for 100 yards in 22 carries. Triton quarterback Geoff Buffum completed 10 of 20 passes for 135 yards.

One play after San Clemente recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff, lineman Brian Muaga scored an a 47-yard run on a fumblerooski. The Tritons led, 7-0, nine seconds into the game.

Lins got the Celts even on a short pass that Deron McElroy turned into a 44-yard score.

The teams went into the locker room tied, 7-7.

San Clemente pulled ahead with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Buffum to Dylan Newman with 2:16 to play in the third quarter.

The Tritons added a 20-yard scoring run by Vaughn on their next possession, taking a 21-7 lead with 11:50 to play.