Servite repeats as Pac-5 Division champion

If not for the caliber of opponent, Anaheim Servite’s victory Saturday night in the Southern Section Pac-5 Division championship game would appear as ordinary as the 24 victories that preceded it. That’s because finding ways to win is what the Friars are all about.

This time, Servite relied on the running and catching of Malik Felton and timely interceptions on defense to defeat Mission Viejo, 41-27, in front of a crowd of 15,582 at Angel Stadium in Anaheim.

Servite not only won its 25th game in a row and second consecutive Pac-5 title, it secured a berth into either the state bowl Open Division or Division I game. The second-seeded Friars (14-0) scored 17 unanswered points in the second quarter to build a 24-7 halftime lead.

The win was perhaps most satisfying for junior quarterback Cody Pittman, who began the year feeling the pressure of having to fill the shoes of Cody Fajardo, last year’s starter who is now at Nevada.

“He’s a great player -- you can’t replace a guy like that, you can only hope to play close to his level,” Pittman said of his predecessor. “He texted me before every game this year. We’re really close friends.”

Felton rushed for 184 yards in 24 carries and scored four touchdowns, including a 48-yard run to put the game away with 3:11 remaining, a mere 13 seconds after Bryan Keller had caught an 11-yard touchdown pass from Alex Bridgford that pulled Mission Viejo to within 34-27.

“Malik is the hardest worker on the team and if you give it to him 20 times, he’s going to break three or four of them,” said Pittman, who completed nine of 15 passes for 213 yards and two touchdowns.

Pittman got the Friars off to a good start with a 34-yard strike to Robert Abeyta, who caught the ball in the end zone with 8:22 left in the first quarter. Abeyta had three catches for 61 yards.

“When you give our defense the lead it makes it really tough on the other team,” Pittman said. “So it was important to try to score first.”

Dallas Kessman’s nine-yard run brought top-seeded Mission Viejo (13-1) to within 24-14 with 4:28 left in the third quarter, but Felton answered less than two minutes later, catching a 45-yard touchdown pass from Pittman. Connor Loftus kicked a 41-yard field goal on Servite’s next possession to increase the lead to 34-14.

Linebacker Butch Pauu picked off a pass by Mission Viejo quarterback Alex Bridgford at the Friars’ 10-yard line with five seconds left in the first half after a 47-yard kickoff return by Frank Randall gave the Diablos the ball at midfield. Bridgford was 21 of 48 for 274 yards. Keller had six catches for 90 yards and Randall added six receptions for 71 yards.

Loftus kicked a 28-yard field goal that increased Servite’s lead to 24-7 with 1:10 left in the first half.

Felton’s 21-yard run with 6:26 left in the second quarter gave Servite a 21-7 lead. Defensive back Karlton Dennis set up the four-play scoring drive by intercepting an underthrown pass by Tre Madden at the Friars’ 25-yard line. The multi-dimensional Madden was not a factor when the Diablos turned to their tricky wildcat formation, as Servite Coach Troy Thomas tracked his every move.

“We had a chance to play [Madden] last year in the semifinals, so that helped us prepare,” Thomas said. “With a great athlete like that you’re always worried but we did some things to try to stop him.”

Madden suffered a shoulder injury in the third quarter and didn’t return. He finished with minus-nine yards rushing in four attempts.

Thomas was not surprised the game was so high-scoring given the talent on each side.

“Both offenses are playing really, really well and it’s hard to stop a really good offense,” he said. “I’m surprised by the number of points but you know you’re not going to shut out a team like Mission Viejo. You just have to hope you can score more than them.”

Kessman dove over the goal line from one yard to tie the score, 7-7, capping an 80-yard, 12-play drive with 3:23 left in the first quarter. Kessman finished with 102 yards in 21 carries.

Felton, who had 82 yards by halftime, scored on a three-yard run after a 13-play, 80-yard drive to put Servite back in front, 14-7, with 10:35 left in the second quarter.

Jahleel Pinner’s 28-yard touchdown run pulled Mission Viejo to within 14 points with 6:03 left, but the extra point attempt was blocked.

Mission Viejo’s last drive seemed to sum up the Diablos’ misfortune. Bridgford scrambled from the pocket and appeared on his way to the end zone, but a punishing tackle jarred the ball loose and Jordan Jones recovered at Servite’s one-yard line with under two minutes left and the Friars proceeded to run out the clock.

Despite winning the Pac-5 with one loss last year, Servite had to settle for the Division II state bowl. This year, Pittman hopes his team is chosen for the Open Division game.

“We’re back-to-back CIF champs,” he said. “So yeah, I think we deserve it.”