Chaminade Bobbles Chance for Title Game

The ball slipped through the fingers of Chaminade High quarterback Jason Zdenek. And with it slipped away the Eagles’ bid to play for a Southern Section championship for the first time in eight years.

Zdenek’s bobbled snap on fourth down at midfield with 1 minute 36 seconds to play snuffed a final Chaminade drive as Diamond Bar hung on to defeat the Eagles, 14-10, in a Division III semifinal Friday night at Chaminade.

Diamond Bar (13-0) will play the winner of tonight’s Newbury Park-Westlake game next Saturday at a site to be determined.

Tailback Lathian Tyler scored the winning touchdown on a 25-yard pass play from quarterback Tim Ruiz with 3:16 remaining, lifting the Brahmas into their first final appearance since 1985.

But the Brahmas had to hold on.

Chaminade (11-2) moved from its 33 to its 49 as the clock ticked down. Zdenek, faced with fourth and 12, couldn’t find the handle and was smothered after picking up the loose snap.

“I’ll take the blame for it,” Zdenek said. “But right now, I don’t want to [talk] about negative stuff.”

It was a crushing loss for Chaminade, which took a 7-0 lead on tailback Jason Giovannettone’s 61-yard run on the game’s opening possession. The Eagles led, 10-7, with nine minutes to play and were driving for another score when the Brahmas held on fourth down at their 27.

Giovannettone, who rushed for a game-high 170 yards in 24 carries, missed making a first down by what appeared to be less than an inch.

“We usually blow through that,” Chaminade Coach Rich Lawson said. “But their players played hard.”

Diamond Bar then drove 73 yards in 11 plays to take its first lead. The drive included third-down completions of 16 and 20 yards from Ruiz to wide receiver David Maxwell. Ruiz also passed for nine yards to Deron Tyler on third and eight.

On second and eight at the 25, Ruiz found Tyler in the flat. Tyler, who rushed for 59 yards in 18 carries, outmaneuvered Zdenek and scampered into the corner of the end zone.

Tyler, who entered with more than 1,400 yards rushing, pulled the Brahmas even with a one-yard first-quarter run that capped a 15-play, 67-yard drive.

Tyler was the focus of the Chaminade defense, and that allowed other players to make big plays.

“They were hanging on L.T. the whole night,” Diamond Bar Coach Terry Roche said. “But other people stepped up for us.

“These kids just don’t quit. We dreamed about going to the finals and now it’s really happening.”

Chaminade moved ahead, 10-7, on Bill Sayre’s 28-yard field goal late in the third quarter.

In the game’s final seconds, Chaminade took possession following a punt at its 25. But with time for only one play, Zdenek’s desperation pass was intercepted at midfield.

“I don’t know what they did to stop us, but they did something,” Giovannettone said. “We’ve never been held to 10 points.”

Zdenek completed five of 14 passes for 46 yards. He also rushed for 51 yards in nine carries.

Tight end Gabe Crecion caught two passes for 15 yards and Peter Foy caught two for 14 yards.