Comeback Puts Kilpatrick in Final

Jermaine Marshall figured it was merely a matter of time.

The Kilpatrick running back and his teammates didn’t panic when they trailed by 13 points at halftime of their Southern Section Division XII semifinal game against Riverside Notre Dame.

Kilpatrick responded with a fury, scoring 34 points in the second half for a 42-35 victory Saturday night at Valley Christian High.

The victory sends the Mustangs (9-4) into a rematch against Alpha League rival Paraclete in the final Saturday at a site to be determined.

Kilpatrick couldn’t have done it without Marshall, who rushed for 116 of his 204 yards in the second half.

Marshall also scored on runs of eight and 82 yards and caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Secel Montgomery in the second half.

“I felt real comfortable at halftime because I knew it was going to come down to me making the big plays,” Marshall said.

Marshall was impressive, but it was running back Chris Benjamin who scored on a seven-yard run with 5:04 remaining to put the Mustangs ahead to stay.

They added a two-point conversion on a pass from Montgomery to Rudolph Moore to make it 42-35.

The Titans (11-2), seeded No. 2, had one last possession, but quarterback Chris Imperati fumbled at the 39-yard line with 1:15 remaining and Kilpatrick’s Juan Soto recovered.

Kilpatrick overcame a brilliant performance by Notre Dame running back Derrick Johnson.

Johnson, who entered the game with 1,726 yards and 27 touchdowns, finished with 237 yards and four touchdowns in 21 carries.

He scored on runs of 61, one, 71 and nine yards. He also caught two passes for 90 yards.

Kilpatrick wound up with a 414-328 advantage in yards, including 251 yards in the second half.

Marshall said the Mustangs made adjustments after they trailed at the half.

“We changed our blocking schemes,” he said. “We started blocking differently and it worked out for the best.”

With his 204-yard rushing effort, Marshall has rushed for 3,466 yards and scored 53 touchdowns.

That leaves him close to the state’s all-time single-season leader, David Dotson of Moreno Valley Valley View, who rushed for 3,523 yards in 1991.