Taft advances in last seconds

With sunlight starting to disappear and the chances for overtime growing more likely, sophomore running back D.J. Morgan of Woodland Hills Taft had a sense of urgency when he was handed the ball Thursday afternoon in the final 30 seconds of a City Championship Division playoff opener at Los Angeles Jordan.

“I’m just thinking I don’t want overtime,” Morgan said. “I have to run hard and get into the end zone.”

And that’s what Morgan did, running seven yards for his third touchdown of the game with 27 seconds left, then running in the two-point conversion to give ninth-seeded Taft a 36-28 victory over eighth-seeded Jordan.

There were a combined 10 turnovers, including six interceptions. Taft’s Oliver Johnson made three of those interceptions. And the reward for the victory? Wednesday’s matchup against top-seeded Lake Balboa Birmingham. Taft lost to the Patriots, 49-14, last week.

“We have to come up with a miracle,” first-year Taft Coach Matt Kerstetter said of next week’s game. “There’s not anybody who’s going to pick us. We have to play the game of our lives.”

Having Morgan on the field will help. He’s the younger brother of Chris Morgan, who was a state champion in the 110-meter high hurdles for Taft in 2000 and 2001. D.J. is another blossoming speedster. He rushed for 151 yards in 28 carries.

Taft (8-3) opened a 20-6 halftime lead, highlighted by Leroy Bray catching a pass from Bam Goodall for a 67-yard touchdown. The Toreadors seemed to be distracted at the start of the second half, having learned that cell phones, iPods and wallets were stolen from their bags in the locker room.

Jordan’s Eric Hunter returned an interception 32 yards for a touchdown at the outset of the third quarter.

But Taft bumped its lead to 28-12 on a 60-yard touchdown run by Goodall.

Quarterback James Boyd rallied Jordan (7-4) after being held out the first half for disciplinary reasons. He scored on a one-yard run at the end of the third quarter, then threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Delvon Purvis on fourth down with 3:39 left. Boyd ran in the two-point conversion to tie the score at 28-28.

A fumble recovery by Taft’s Marty Williams with 1:46 left on Jordan’s 40 gave the Toreadors one last opportunity to avoid overtime.

Goodall, an improving sophomore, completed passes of 14 yards to Johnson and 12 yards to Nick Bruce. Soon, it was up to Morgan to deliver victory.

“We had to find a way to win,” he said.

eric.sondheimer@latimes.com