GAME OF THE WEEK : Locke Outlasts Belmont in 43-40 Shootout

It was a game that both schools will be talking about for years to come.

In a contest that was as bizarre as it was exciting, Locke High outlasted Belmont, 43-40, in a City Section 4-A Division first-round playoff game Friday night at Belmont.

“After a while, I thought whichever team had the ball last would win the game,” Locke Coach E.C. Robinson said.

“We couldn’t stop them on offense and they couldn’t stop us.”

In a fourth quarter that produced 33 points between the two schools, Belmont had the last possession.

But on the game’s final play, Sentinel quarterback Dale Saulque was flushed out of the pocket and passed to running back Oscar Garcia, who was immediately tackled.

Belmont cut Locke’s lead to three, 36-33, when Octavio Calvillo returned a kickoff 76 yards for a touchdown with 2:49 remaining.

The Sentinels then attempted an onside kick, but the strategy backfired as Locke’s Russell Shaw recovered the ball and raced 55 yards for a touchdown to give the Saints a 43-33 lead.

But as they had done the entire game, Belmont fought back.

On a busted play, Saulque hit wide receiver Robert Mejia, who ran 44 yards for a touchdown to slice Locke’s lead to 43-40.

Saulque completed seven of 11 passes for 73 yards and one touchdown in the game.

“What got me afraid was when (Belmont) scored on the broken play because we just couldn’t hold them,” Robinson said.

However, Locke had no problem containing Belmont’s offense in the third quarter, holding the Sentinels to only 20 yards.

Quarterback and defensive back Akili Roberson scooped up a fumble by Belmont running back Ramon Archie and went 57 yards for a touchdown for the only score of the third quarter.

At quarterback, Roberson took advantage of the speed of his wide receivers by throwing quick screen passes to Shaw, who outpaced the Belmont cornerbacks in one-on-one coverage situations.

The result was two touchdowns by Shaw, one from 14 yards out and the other from 18 yards, the second of which gave the Saints a 16-7 lead.

“We knew (Belmont) couldn’t use single coverage on us, so we tried to get the guys the ball and let them go one-on-one,” Robinson said.

Locke’s Sirr Parker rushed for 141 yards in five carries in the first half and finishing with 194 yards in 11 carries.

“(Our) speed definitely made a difference,” he said. “This game let us know what we have to work on for our next opponent.”

Saulque, who rushed for 34 yards in five carries, scored on a three-yard run before the end of the first half to cut Locke’s lead to 22-20.