Canyon Can’t Finish Rally, Settles for Tie With Orange

With a week left in the regular season, only one thing is certain in the Century League football playoff race.

Three or four teams will make it, and the rest won’t.

Orange (4-4-1, 1-2-1 in league) and Canyon (5-3-1, 1-2-1) did nothing to clear things up Thursday night as they played to a 13-13 tie in front of 1,200 at El Modena High.

After trading scores in the first half for a 7-7 score at the break, Orange took the lead on its first possession of the second half, driving from its 20 to the Comanche 40 before Shawn McCraw connected with Terrence Williams over the middle for a 40-yard touchdown. The conversion attempt missed wide right, but the Panthers led, 13-7.

Canyon dominated the rest of the way, its defense giving up only nine yards during the final 17 minutes. The Comanche offense, which saw two of its first-half threats ended by penalties, came through after taking possession at the Orange 31 with 11 minutes to go. Craig Scott connected with Ryan Newman for 12 yards, and after another major penalty, this one for unsportsmanlike conduct, Scott hooked up with Kory Miller to move the ball to the 13.

Three plays later, fullback Komrom Tarkeshian scored from the five to tie the score, 13-13. Matt Pangborn missed the conversion, got another chance after an Orange offside penalty, then missed again.

“The consolation is that we can still make the playoffs [with a victory over Santa Ana Valley],” Canyon Coach Bob Hughes said. “We were pretty darn close. Our regular kicker [Scott Walker] is not with us, and [Pangborn] has been injured.”

The league race remains a puzzle. All six teams still have chance to make the playoffs; four have a shot at a share of the league championship.