Pass Barely Long and Crespi’s Rally Falls Short, 35-33

Crespi High came within inches of pulling off a dramatic second-half comeback before falling to St. John Bosco, 35-33, in a Del Rey League opener at St. John Bosco High.

With five seconds left in the game, Crespi’s Todd McLean lofted a pass toward Ryan Block, who was streaking down the right sideline. The pass was deflected by a St. John Bosco defender just inches out of the reach of Block’s outstretched hands, and time expired.

“We just ran out of time,” an exhausted Crespi Coach Tim Lins said. “We really felt like we could have won this one.”

The Celts (3-3) overcame a 28-6 halftime deficit by going to the air. McLean completed 28 of 41 passes for three touchdowns and a career-high 292 yards--including 20 of 28 for 210 yards and two touchdowns in the second half. He also had a one-yard run for a touchdown.

“Even though we lost I’m really happy,” McLean said. “This really boosts our confidence.”

St. John Bosco (5-1) jumped to a 7-0 lead on an 18-yard pass from Todd Husak to Omar Camacho.

Crespi answered on its ensuing possession, but then the Braves broke it open with touchdowns on three consecutive possessions, highlighted by a 45-yard scoring run by De Andrie O’Neal and a six-yard return by Tony Minjarez off of a botched punt.

But McLean and the Celts drove 75 yards for a touchdown, recovered an onside kick, then drove another 51 yards for a score, pulling to within 35-20.

After recovering a second onside kick, Crespi had a drive stall at the Braves’ 43 when McLean threw an interception. The Celts defense came through, however, recovering a Minjarez fumble two plays later, leading to a 13-yard scoring strike from McLean to Dennis Fox.