Esperanza Finally Gets Out of Gate

For most of its Southern Section Division I playoff opener against Mission Viejo at Valencia High Friday night, Esperanza looked as if it would never get that old monkey off its back.

The Aztecs had not won a Division I playoff game in school history, and, though they have been a dominant team in the Sunset League over the past four years, they always seemed to find a way to take an early exit in the postseason.

And it looked for much of the night as if that would be the case once again, at least until the final 26 seconds.

That’s when quarterback Grant Wagner checked off his primary receiver on third and goal at the Mission Viejo nine-yard line and passed seven yards to wide receiver Ryan Sharpe who beat Diablo defender Dan Bowling and went the final two yards for the winning touchdown. The 14-10 victory marked the first time since 1992 that Esperanza has advanced to a second-round playoff game.

Next week, the Aztecs face third-seeded Los Angeles Loyola, a 14-0 winner Friday over Long Beach Millikan.

“We really wanted to win this game,” Wagner said. “A lot of people think we aren’t as talented as those past teams, but I think we made a name for ourselves tonight.”

The Aztecs’ last-second fortune stunned Mission Viejo (8-3), which got a county-record 58-yard field goal by Nick Gilliam late in the third quarter and a three-yard run by Matt Chavis early in the fourth quarter to take a 10-7 lead.

But the Diablos, who gained 263 yards in total offense, couldn’t make their effort stand up.

Tears flowed at midfield on both sides when the game ended, but the ones from Esperanza players couldn’t hide the fact that, until that final 26 seconds, the Aztecs had kept their grumbling fans frustrated with their inability to shake the Diablos.

“We had played pretty bad up to that point,” said Sharpe, who had two receptions for 29 yards.

The winning drive, which began on the Aztec 27 with 3:06 left, was also aided by two penalties, a pass interference call against Mission Viejo and an unsportsmanlike conduct call when one of Wagner’s receivers was bumped out of bounds on an overthrow on third and 10 at the Esperanza 47.

Esperanza got on the scoreboard for a 7-0 halftime lead, driving nine plays and 89 yards with Brent Garrison scoring from the one with 11 seconds left in the half.