Late Score by Chavez Gets Loara Past Tustin

Loara High’s players, excited about beating fourth-seeded Tustin, 6-3, Friday in a Southern Section Division VI second-round football game, dumped a five-gallon jug of water on Coach John deFries after the game.

Sure, such celebrations are usually reserved for championships, but it’s hard to blame the Saxons for being so excited.

The trip to the semifinals against Irvine next Friday marks the first time in 20 years Loara has gone that far in the playoffs.

But for much of the night it looked as if Tustin, despite several crippling penalties, was going to prevail by a field goal.

The tide turned for Loara when Frank Ha recovered a fumble at the Saxon 35 with 5 minutes 29 seconds left to play.

Loara’s winning drive came with plenty of help from the Tillers, who were called for two late hits and a face-mask penalty during the drive. Two of the penalties came on the same play, on which Rudy Acosta gained 17 yards on a reverse.

The two penalties and the run combined to give Loara (10-2) a first down at the Tustin four. Billy Chavez scored the winning touchdown from three yards on second down.

“I saw the yardstick and I just headed right into the end zone,” Chavez said. “I had to try and bull my way in. I couldn’t juke these guys.”

The touchdown came with 3:07 left and afterward Tustin drove as far as the Loara 45.

But two incomplete passes and a sack by Steven Douglas and George Risberg made it fourth and 16.

Chavez tipped quarterback David Miller’s pass on fourth down and Acosta intercepted it for his second of the game and 11th of the season.

Loara was called for clipping on the play for its only penalty of the game.

Tustin (8-4) was called for personal-foul penalties on the next two plays and the officials let the final 37 seconds run off without another play.

“[Loara] did a terrific job,” Tustin Coach Myron Miller said. “We just need to go back and start preparing for next season and get on with our lives. [Our players] need to learn to take a loss just like a win.”

Tustin’s late frustrations came partly because the Tillers moved the ball well at times but with little result. Branden Malcom, Tustin’s standout running back who had 1,585 yards coming in, finished with 85 yards in 21 carries.

Tustin’s first drive reached the Loara seven before a holding call helped end the threat.

Tustin started the second half with a 16-play drive that lasted about eight minutes before it ended when Acosta went up high for an interception in the end zone.