HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIPS : Brown Runs Bishop Amat to a Championship, 14-10

He had stood out all through the playoffs, so it wasn’t surprising that Ralph Brown II came up with big plays in La Puente Bishop Amat’s 14-10 victory over Loyola High in the Southern Section Division I championship game Saturday night at the Coliseum.

Before 14,316, Brown scored the winning touchdown after shaking off six tacklers on a 16-yard run with 10 minutes to play.

Then, with his team nursing a four-point lead in the final minute, Brown provided some defensive heroics by stepping in front of Loyola receiver Matt Peterson and intercepting the ball at the Loyola 35-yard line.

With the clock winding down, Brown was gang-tackled in celebration by a few dozen of his teammates.

“Our coach told us at halftime that we were getting kicked around the field pretty good and that we’d have to step things up in the second half if we were going to win,” said Brown, who finished with 110 yards in 21 carries. “It really got me going, and I was able to break things open a bit after that.”

Brown was a second-string running back behind Daylon McCutcheon last season when the Lancers lost to Santa Ana Mater Dei, 28-21, in the division final at Anaheim Stadium.

When it was his turn to start, Brown didn’t disappoint. He led Bishop Amat (12-1-1) to a Del Rey League title, and in the three previous playoff victories he averaged 245 rushing yards and scored 12 touchdowns.

In a league game against Loyola (11-3) earlier this season, Brown gained 230 yards in a 24-17 victory.

“He’s certainly special because no one’s ever rushed for more yards against us since I can remember,” Loyola Coach Steve Grady said earlier in the week.

Loyola, which has lost 11 consecutive games to Bishop Amat since 1977, shut down Brown in the first half. The 5-foot-11, 180-pound senior had only 32 yards in 10 carries, with a long run of five yards.

With the score tied at halftime, 7-7, the Cubs went ahead with two minutes to play in the third quarter on a Mike Giampaolo 22-yard field goal.

The lead was short-lived, however, because Brown finally got in gear. The Lancers took over on their own 28 and went 72 yards in seven plays, capped by Brown’s touchdown run. He accounted for 57 yards on the drive, including a 25-yard run.

“You shouldn’t be talking to me right now, you should be talking to Ralph Brown,” said Bishop Amat Coach Tom Salter, 33, who in two seasons is 25-2-1. “That’s the real hero of this game. He’s been doing it all season, and he did it again tonight.”

Loyola had two possessions in the fourth quarter, but quarterback Ray Kasper threw interceptions on both. Abel Montanez grabbed the first on his 31-yard line with 2:14 to go, and Brown got the second with 1:14 remaining.

In a game that figured to be low scoring, Bishop Amat took an early 7-0 lead. On the sixth play of the opening drive, Brown demonstrated his speed by turning a screen pass from Brian Russell into a 64-yard touchdown play.

Loyola responded by moving the ball 79 yards in 19 plays in a drive that lasted nearly 10 minutes. Matt Vanis, who carried the ball on 11 of those plays, tied the score on a one-yard run over the middle with 10:16 to play in the first half. He finished with 70 yards in 20 carries.

Brown also had three tackles, but it was his offense that made Bishop Amat’s season. He finished the year with 2,243 yards.

And a championship.