Loara’s Lappin Sneaks Victory Over Irvine

After working from a deficit the entire night in a game in which defense was virtually nonexistent, Loara stunned Irvine Friday.

Saxon quarterback Archie Lappin, who took a knee from a half-yard away one play earlier to run as much time off the clock as he could, scored on a one-yard quarterback sneak with 1 minute 9 seconds left to give Loara a 34-31 first-round victory over Irvine in the Southern Section Division V playoffs.

“It was do or die,” said Loara Coach John de Fries, speaking of the fourth-quarter predicament in which Lappin had to direct his team 89 yards for the winning score.

Lappin’s touchdown preceded John Duhon’s two-point conversion run.

Lappin followed with an interception, of Jared Flint’s pass on the first play of Irvine’s final possession.

Loara’s game-winning drive was kept alive three times on third-down conversions, including Mike Morales’ shoelace catch for 15 yards when 11 were needed.

Even when Loara scored, Lappin--who completed eight passes for 123 yards and two touchdowns, and rushed 20 times for 137 yards--didn’t think his team had it in the bag. And for good reason.

Irvine scored on its first five possessions, including Sevan Setian’s 32-yard field goal on the final play of the first half to give the Vaqueros a 24-14 lead.

But Loara scored on four of its first five possessions, including a 17-yard scoring pass from Lappin to Mike Diersing to cut the deficit to 24-20, and a 40-yard pass to Nate Robbins, who shook off an arm tackle, that answered Irvine’s 46-yard touchdown pass from Flint to Ryan Brucker, setting the stage for the fourth quarter.

“This game means respect,” said Lappin, whose team finished second in the Empire League. “If we want it, we’re going to have to go get it.”

Loara (8-3) will play Friday against the winner of tonight’s Canyon-Tustin game.

Irvine, the third-place team from the Sea View League, finished 6-5 despite Jake Savona’s three touchdown runs--seven, eight and seven yards. He rushed for 96 yards in 21 carries.

Flint threw for 185 yards, but had two passes intercepted in the fourth quarter. The first, by Garrett Ware, came on the second play after Irvine’s Darren Bell intercepted Lappin’s pass, giving Irvine a chance to win with a touchdown.

Instead, Ware’s pick gave Loara the ball at its 11.

Flint, whose team never trailed until Lappin’s last-minute score, fought back tears afterward.

“It seems like we could have gone so far,” he said.