Antelopes Surprise Nemesis

Antelope Valley High thought it had ended quarterback Jason Thomas’ football career eight weeks ago.

Now, the Antelopes are sure of it.

Antelope Valley upset second-seeded Dominguez, 28-25, on Friday night in a Southern Section Division II quarterfinal, withstanding a furious rally led by Thomas, a USC-bound senior who broke his left ankle against the Antelopes in September.

“This is a game I will remember for the rest of my life,” said Antelope Valley receiver Joe Manning, who caught touchdown passes of 36 and 12 yards from quarterback Justin Mobley.

Antelope Valley (8-3) advances to its fifth consecutive division semifinal next Saturday, when it meets third-seeded Ayala, a 21-17 winner over Hawthorne.

The victory was most improbable. The defending division champion Dons (10-2) had won 24 of their last 25 games, including three victories over Antelope Valley in the past 13 months.

And, this time, the disparity in talent appeared even more lopsided.

“We kept telling everyone to expect to win, to have confidence,” said Coach Brent Newcomb, who has guided the Antelopes to three division titles in 20 seasons. “We’ve had some very big wins here, but this might be one of the biggest.”

It wasn’t secure until the final minute, when Antelope Valley’s Ryan Wagerle deflected a fourth-down pass by Dominguez’s Everett Smith at the Antelope 18 with 41 seconds left.

The Dons had rallied from a 28-10 third-quarter deficit.

Thomas, who split time between quarterback and receiver, scored on a six-yard keeper with 10:55 left to close it to 28-25.

On the next possession, he missed a diving David Relph in the end zone on another fourth-down pass.

“It’s frustrating because we fought so hard,” said Thomas, who rushed for 32 yards, caught five passes for 51 yards and passed for 17. “But you have to stand up and take your losses like a man.”

Mobley completed five of 10 passes for 93 yards and two touchdowns to Manning.

Bruce Molock, out much of the season with ankle injuries, rushed for 123 yards in 22 carries. He gained 104 yards in the first half when he scored on runs of 10 and 58 yards to stake Antelope Valley to a 21-10 halftime lead.

Thr Antelopes gained only 68 of their 234 yards after intermission, however, allowing Dominguez to charge back.

Dominguez running back Willie Hurst gained 84 yards in 15 carries, including a six-yard touchdown run on the Dons’ first possession of the game.

Smith, who played quarterback for seven games while Thomas nursed his broken ankle, completed 13 of 28 passes for 198 yards.

But Smith misfired on his final four attempts deep in Antelope Valley territory.

Antelope Valley also benefited from two Dominguez fumbles--one by Thomas, another by Hurst--each of which set up touchdowns.