HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL PLAYOFFS : Sylmar Relives Nightmare and It Has Same Ending, 22-21

Deja vu or what?

The last time Sylmar High lost a football game was in 1993.

Two years and 25 consecutive victories later, Sylmar lost again, on the same field, nearly the same way and believe it or not, by the same score.

Narbonne’s Damon Rogers returned a kickoff 85 yards for a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter to reclaim the lead and the Gauchos held on to upset top-seeded Sylmar, 22-21, in a City Section 4-A Division quarterfinal-round game Wednesday night.

“Breakdowns,” Sylmar Coach Jeff Engilman said. “It’s been happening all year. This time it cost us.”

Sylmar made the most of its chances, recovering two onside kicks and beating the secondary all night on fly patterns. But it was the Spartans’ last offensive play of the night that will haunt Engilman forever.

On fourth and 10 at Sylmar’s 39, quarterback Chris Cervantes threw 50 yards downfield to wide open Rasheed Coleman, who had his defender beaten by 10 yards. But Coleman, who earlier scored on a 46-yard pass play after a momentary juggle, bobbled the pass then dropped it.

With it went Sylmar’s shot at winning its third City title in four years.

Two years ago in a semifinal, it was Carson that scored last in a wild, pull-out-all-the-stops battle to win it. The Colts, who went on to win the championship that year, scored the go-ahead touchdown on an 80-yard pass play in the game’s waning moments.

This time it was No. 8-seeded Narbonne (10-2), a team that is making its first postseason appearance in 15 years.

Fourteen seconds after Sylmar’s Durell Price plunged into the end zone from two yards to give the Spartans their first lead, 21-16, Rogers received the kickoff at the 15 near the Sylmar sideline, broke several tackles and blazed down the sideline for the score.

Sylmar (11-1), ranked No. 8 in the state by Cal-Hi Sports, came back from a 16-0 deficit on the arm of Cervantes, who completed eight of 20 passes for 164 yards with one interception and two touchdowns.

Cervantes’ 69-yard scoring pass play to Kevin Brown got Sylmar closer, 16-14, with 2:37 left in the third quarter.

Narbonne’s double-wing offense gained 122 yards on 19 plays in the first half. The Gauchos, who had 412 yards rushing against Taft last week, finished with 213 rushing and 88 passing.

Sylmar, which was averaging 42 points a game, could not get going offensively, going three and out on its first three possessions. The Spartans did not make a first down until Cervantes hit Gerrod Taylor over the middle with a 14-yard pass on third and 10 with 9:03 left in the first half.

Sylmar drove to the Narbonne 41, but Cervantes’ pass was picked off by Rogers to stymie the drive.

Price had 85 of his 115 yards in the second half.