The Mission Bay Buccaneers and the La Jolla High Vikings found themselves locked in a thrilling gridiron battle Friday, Nov. 24, to see who would advance to the CIF semifinal playoffs.
The Bucs finally rallied to sail away with a 42-28 victory after breaking a 28-28 tie with under two minutes left in the game.
“We were down by two, then up by two, then tied ” it was amazing,” Mission Bay head coach Willie Matson said. “They played their hearts out and they got it done.”
The Vikings came ready to knock off the No. 1 seed Division IV Buccaneers.
“We gave them a battle and took them to the limit,” La Jolla head coach Dave Ponsford said. “Some of their real good athletes came through in the end, but I am real proud of my guys. It’s a young team and a lot of key players will be back.”
La Jolla found the end zone first when junior running back Jerrell Agnew streaked around the left side on a 14-yard sweep to put the Vikings on the board. The offense sent the message early they had the weapons that could win the battle. Andres Liera added the first of four extra point kicks.
Moments into the second quarter, Viking quarterback Casey Richmond connected with Edward Johnson on an eight-yard pass to put the Vikings up 14-0.
The ensuing kickoff turned the tide for the Bucs.
For the second time this season, Buccaneer Victor Johnson returned a kick off to the end zone ” this time an 80-yard touchdown run up the sideline. Buc kicker Lucas Balbi added the first of six extra points.
Just before the half, Buc quarterback Evan Taylor powered for 17 yards down to the 2-yard line. Then he capped the drive by bouncing in around the Viking defenders for the score.
Taylor broke the 14-14 tie late in the third quarter with another determined 14-yard run.
At the turn of the fourth quarter, Buccaneer Ken Mayfield broke loose for a 50-yard sweep that set-up his 23-yard scoring run a few plays later.
Down by two touchdowns, the Vikings weren’t done yet. The big arm of quarterback Matt Mulvey connected with Lorance Davis for a 53-yard score. On their next possession, the Viking magic worked again as Mulvey connected with Davis for a 39-yard touchdown to tie the game at 28-28.
The deciding moment came with 2:15 left when the Vikings went for it on fourth and two at the Mission Bay 45, but the Bucs’ defense held.
Taylor finally got a deep pass over the La Jolla defense with the help of a great catch by Dillon Baxter at the 18-yard line. Two plays later, Mayfield scored on an 11-yard slant to the right.
La Jolla never quit. With 1:23 left, Mulvey connected over the right side with David Ginsberg. But Buccaneer linebacker and leading tackler Johnny Nguyen stripped the ball from behind and the ball bounced right up into the hands of Buc cornerback Isaac Parham, who dashed 35 yards untouched for the insurance touchdown.
“We’re over a big playoff hurdle,” Matson said. “We have a lot of respect for La Jolla ” they played everybody real tough. They are a well-coached team.”