High School Football: Brethren Christian goes for the win
SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO — Brethren Christian had to battle against an offensive powerhouse in St. Margaret’s on Friday at St. Margaret’s High School.
The Warriors also had to overcome their own early mistakes and a 14-point deficit heading into the fourth quarter.
The Warriors did all that and then some.
A gutsy call to go for a two-point conversion in the second overtime gave the Warriors a 50-49.
Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime.
The Tartans (7-2), ranked No. 1 in Division 7, got the ball first in the second overtime and scored on one-yard run from quarterback George Krantz to take a 49-42 lead.
Brethren Christian (8-1) then got its turn and scored on a one-yard run Raimon Sagastume.
But instead of kicking what would have been a game-tying extra point to send the contest to a third overtime, the Warriors went for two.
The Warriors lined up as if they were going to kick the extra point, but quarterback and holder Nathan Sagastume took the snap, ran to his right, and made a short easy throw to a wide-open Jason Fuga to complete the two-point try and win the game.
“We put that play in eight weeks ago,” Warriors coach Pat Mcinally said of the conversion. “We just saved and saved it and found the right moment.”
Brethren Christian trailed by 14 heading into the fourth quarter before quarterback Joey Gutierrez threw a pair of touchdown passes, one for 35 yards to Joshua Gorrell and a 25-yarder to Brent Nash, to tie the score.
Gutierrez completed 21 of 35 passes for 323 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions.
Brethren Christian was hurt by its own miscues in the first half.
The game was scoreless when the Warriors put together a nice drive and faced a second-and-6 from the St. Margaret’s 33-yard line.
But Michael Chew spoiled the Warriors’ drive with an interception, giving St. Margaret’s possession on its 31.
St. Margaret’s quarterback George Krantz made the Warriors pay, capping a 69-yard drive with a two-yard touchdown run to give the Tartans a 7-0 lead.
On the ensuing kickoff, a 35-yard return from Nathan Sagastume set the Tartans up at the 50-yard line.
And on the first play from scrimmage, Levon Lester ran through a hole right up the middle and sprinted untouched for a 50-yard touchdown, tying the score.
The Tartans took the lead right back on an 85-yard touchdown pass from Krantz to Ryan Cragun.
The Warriors then took a big gamble and lost when they decided to go for it on a fourth-and-1 from their 31.
But Lester was tackled for a two-yard loss, and the Tartans took over on the 29.
Later in that drive, Nicholas Krantz scored on a six-yard run to give St. Margaret’s a 21-7 lead.
Brethren Christian started a drive from the 15 and drove down the field, scoring on a two-yard run from Gutierrez. The Warriors missed the extra point and trailed by eight at the half.
Freelance
Brethren Christian 50, St. Margaret’s 49
SCORE BY QUARTERS
Brethren Christian – 0 - 13 - 8 - 14 - 7 - 8 - 50
St. Margaret’s - 7 - 14 - 14 - 0 - 7 - 7 - 49
FIRST QUARTER
SM – G. Krantz 2 run, (Vartanian kick), :02.
SECOND QUARTER
BC- Lester 50 run, (Cazales kick), 11:50.
SM – Cragun 85 pass from Locke, (Vartanian kick), 11:15.
SM – N. Krantz 6 run, (Vartanian kick), 6:20.
BC – Gutierrez 2 run, (Cazales kick blocked), 1:17.
THIRD QUARTER
SM – Woo 75 interception return, (Vartanian kick), 9:15.
BC – Sagastume 8 pass from Gutierrez, (Fuga pass from Gutierrez), 6:17
SM – Cragun 4 pass from Krantz, (Vartanian kick), :01.
FOURTH QUARTER
BC – Gorrell 35 pass from Gutierrez, (Cazales kick), 11:30.
BC – Nash 25 pass from Gutierrez, (Cazales kick), 4:17.
1 OVERTIME
BC – Gutierrez 1 run, (Cazales kick)
SM – Cragun 19 pass from G. Krantz, (Vartanian kick)
2 OVERTIME
SM – G. Krantz 1 run, (Vartanian kick)
BC – R. Sagastume 1 run, (N. Sagastume pass from Gutierrez)
INDIVIDUAL RUSHING
BC – Lester 19-166, TD.
SM – N. Krantz, 22-114, TD.
INDIVIDUAL PASSING
BC – Gutierrez, 21-35-3-323, 3 TDs.
SM – G. Krantz 20-36-2-173, TD.
INDIVIDUAL RECEIVING
BC – N. Sagastume 10-105, TD.
SM – Cragun 9-151, 2 TDs.