DIVISION IV : Without Mathis, Irvine Still Rolls Past Glendora

Not even the loss of standout tailback Tony Mathis could derail Irvine.

With Mathis missing the second half after suffering a sprained ankle late in the first half, Irvine turned to quarterback Mike Phelps and running back Sean Clark to lead them to a 42-21 victory over third-seeded Glendora in a Division IV semifinal before 4,200 at Mt. San Antonio college on Saturday night.

Phelps ran for three touchdowns and threw for one and Clark added two more for second-seeded Irvine.

Irvine (12-1), which won its 10th in a row, will play for its third consecutive Southern Section title Saturday against top-seeded Moreno Valley Canyon Springs at a site to be determined.

Irvine used a 28-point second half to eliminate Glendora (9-2-2), which had a seven-game winning streak snapped. Glendora’s only previous loss had been to Charter Oak.

Mathis went down with a sprained right ankle shortly before Irvine broke a 7-7 tie with a one-yard run by Phelps.

Irvine led, 14-7, at halftime before a Glendora turnover allowed the Vaqueros to pull away. Defensive back Jason Miele intercepted a pass by Rob Schult at the Irvine 45 and returned it 39 yards to the Tartans’ 16. Six plays later, Phelps scored on a one-yard run for a 21-7 Irvine lead with 4:03 remaining in the third quarter.

Another fourth-quarter scoring run by Phelps, who accounted for 186 yards in total offense, and two by Clark, who rushed for 84 yards and two scores in nine carries, sealed the victory for the Vaqueros.

The decision extended Irvine’s playoff string to 11 games. It has won 38 of its past 41 games and hasn’t dropped a playoff game in three seasons.

“Glendora’s a good team and we had to play well, especially with Tony (Mathis) hurt,” Irvine Coach Terry Henigan said. “We’ve never had to play without him. It scared . . . me. But Phelps rose to the occasion. Everyone had to take it up a notch.”

Irvine’s defense limited Glendora running back Mathis Ward to 69 yards rushing in 13 carries. Glendora managed 74 yards rushing overall. Schult completed 19 of 27 passes for 223 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions.