Final Whistle Blows on Antelope Valley : High school football: A loose ball is ruled not a fumble and Mater Dei scores go-ahead touchdown in 15-11 victory.

Was it or wasn’t it?

Of all the big plays Antelope Valley High defensive back C.J. Fagan made Friday night, it was the one he didn’t make that really hurt.

Rather, the one that didn’t count.

One play after Fagan recovered an apparent fumble by Mater Dei, the Monarchs scored the go-ahead touchdown and never trailed again.

“That was the play,” Antelope Valley Coach Brent Newcomb said. “The ball’s on the ground right there. . . . “

Mater Dei scored a touchdown in each of the final quarters to pull out a 15-11 victory over the Antelopes in a Southern Section Division I semifinal before an estimated 6,000 at Antelope Valley.

On the play in question, Mater Dei reserve running back Jason Lundstrom was stacked up for no gain at the Antelope Valley 27-yard line on his lone carry of the game. The ball popped out and Fagan recovered, but the play had been blown dead a split-second earlier.

The Antelope Valley sideline exploded at what they believed was an early whistle, if not an outright blown call.

“That’s the way it goes,” shrugged Fagan, who intercepted two passes and blocked a punt. “It happens every week in the NFL.”

On the next play, quarterback John Flynn hit receiver Michael-John Rzeznick streaking down the left sideline for a 27-yard touchdown and a 6-5 lead with 5 minutes 16 seconds left in the third quarter. The pair also connected on the conversion for an 8-5 lead.

“I was already stopped,” Lundstrom said. “But it was close.”

Mater Dei (12-1) applied the stranglehold before the fourth quarter was seconds old. On the first play of the quarter, Antelope Valley quarterback Mike Gleich attempted to complete a quick slant pass to Chris Tapia, but defensive back Robbie Tritz read it all the way.

Tritz picked off the pass--Gleich’s first interception in six games--and raced unmolested for a 29-yard touchdown and a 15-5 lead.

“I just looked at the formation and came up and got it,” said Tritz, whose interception was his team-high seventh. “I looked for the goal line and ran as fast as I could.”

Antelope Valley (7-6) scored on its next possession, however, to keep Mater Dei on edge.

The Monarchs came with an all-out blitz, but fullback Trymon Redick took a handoff and bolted 25 yards up the middle with 9:04 remaining to bring the Antelopes to within 15-11.

A two-point conversion run by tailback Jermaine Lewis (111 yards in 20 carries) that would have brought the Antelopes to within two was stopped.

Antelope Valley got the ball back with 4:15 left, but a pass on third and two at the Antelopes’ 30 fell incomplete and Newcomb elected to punt.

The Antelopes never touched the ball again. Mater Dei punched the ball up the middle for a pair of first downs to run out the clock.

“Only a coach knows how I feel right now,” Newcomb said.

He felt nearly as bad in the first half. Antelope Valley pushed Mater Dei all over the field in the two quarters, limiting the Monarchs to 59 yards. However, the Antelopes missed a big chance to take a commanding lead, what with the way the defense was playing.

With Antelope Valley leading, 5-0, Fagan intercepted Flynn’s pass at the Mater Dei 13-yard line with 1:48 left in the half. Three running plays moved the ball to the one, but after an Antelope Valley timeout, offensive lineman Keith Schiele jumped offside while the Antelopes attempted to snap the ball on a quick count.

Two plays later, an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty was called on tight end David Newman, moving the ball back to the 25. Newman was pleading for a pass-interference call when the flags flew.

Kicker Chad Shrout then missed a 42-yard field goal wide left.

“That (series) killed us,” Newcomb said. “Losing that touchdown just, just. . . . “

Shrout staked the Antelopes to a 3-0 lead with 11:51 left in the half when he kicked a 38-yard field goal. When the Antelopes’ next possession stalled at their 18, Shrout uncorked a punt of 72 yards, pinning the Monarchs on the 10. Four plays later, Fagan blocked Brandon Smallwood’s punt through the end zone for a safety and a 5-0 lead with 5:01 left in the half.