Antelope Valley Revs Up Defense, Halts Bishop Amat’s Streak

The refugee from the Baja 1,000 arrived on the last play of the third quarter, speeding down the middle of the Antelope Valley High football field before skidding to a halt in the end zone, like Jim Rockford on a big go-kart.

A prankster driving a four-wheel all-terrain vehicle with balloon tires scored a touchdown, then bolted out the opposite end of the stadium in a cloud of dust.

“Whoever he was gets my coaching paycheck for the week,” Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb cracked.

Thanks to some nifty two-wheeling by linebacker Keith Schiele, Antelope Valley scored three touchdowns in the fourth quarter to shock top-seeded Bishop Amat, 21-7, in a Southern Section Division I quarterfinal before a crowd of 4,500.

Antelope Valley (7-5) will play Santa Ana Mater Dei, a 17-14 winner over Long Beach Poly, next week in the semifinals. Bishop Amat, which entered the game as the top-ranked team in the state and riding a 26-game win streak dating to a playoff loss to the Antelopes in 1991, finished 11-1.

“We beat the No. 1 team in the state,” crowed Schiele, who seemed in a state of shock. “Unbelievable.”

Defending champion Bishop Amat, ranked sixth in the nation by USA Today, gave up more points in the fourth quarter than it had in any game all season.

With the score tied, 7-7, Schiele intercepted a pass from James Free and cruised 21 yards for a touchdown and a seven-point lead with 6 minutes 17 seconds left.

Schiele, an All-Southern Section selection as a junior, can’t move any faster than he did while bolting for the right corner of the end zone. Make that rumbling. “I’m not a speed guy, that’s for sure,” he said.

Schiele’s play came after what could have been a key letdown by Antelope Valley. The Antelopes, after tying the score on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Mike Gleich to Chris Tapia, drove to Bishop Amat’s 14-yard line, but Chad Shrout narrowly missed a 31-yard field goal with 7:10 left.

The Antelope Valley defense, however, made all the difference. Free was sacked on the play after the kick, and after an incomplete pass, Schiele stepped forward and picked off the ball in the middle of the field. Free was sacked five times, four in the second half.

“What do you say?” Newcomb said. “I’m stunned. Keith Schiele’s play just turned it around. We got a few breaks and made the most of them.”

Break No. 1 came when Rodney Sermons, Bishop Amat’s All-American tailback, sprained a knee Wednesday in practice and didn’t play until the game’s final series. His stand-in, Korey Minor, rushed for a game-high 108 yards in 14 carries, but also left the game for several minutes in the second half with an apparent calf injury. Call it break No. 2.

With Bishop Amat leading, 7-0, Antelope Valley finally found the end zone when Gleich hit Tapia on a perfectly executed fade pass to the pylon at the right corner of the goal line with 11:08 left.

The Antelopes put the game away with 1:19 left after Free was sacked by Eric Nickols, fumbled at the Bishop Amat two and Shrout recovered. Jermaine Lewis (48 yards in 20 carries) scored from two yards two plays later for a 14-point lead.

The way the first half went, the comeback seemed rather unlikely.

Antelope Valley had a great opportunity to jump in front in the first quarter, but drew a blank. The Antelopes drove to the Bishop Amat eight-yard line before a holding penalty on third down moved them back. After an incomplete pass, Shrout missed a 37-yard field-goal attempt with 2:14 left in the first quarter.

Shrout, also a defensive lineman, had punts of 61 and 56 yards.

Nonetheless, Minor ran over, around and through almost every wave of resistance he met in the first half, grinding out 90 yards by intermission. He and Daylon McCutcheon did almost all the damage on the game’s first scoring drive, which Started with the Lancers deep in there own territory.