ORANGE Villa Park was 6 yards away from advancing to its first CIF-SS title game in 13 years. At the very least, the Spartans were in prime position to kick a short field goal and force San Jacinto to play its third straight overtime playoff game. Neither happened after the Spartans lost a fumble on third down at the 5-yard line with 28 seconds left, allowing San Jacinto to escape with an 18-15 victory in the Division 4 semifinal at El Modena High. “Kids believed,” San Jacinto coach Aric Galliano said. “They dug down deep and made plays when we needed it. We struggled a little bit at the beginning, they answered at halftime and it’s a testament to these kids. They prepared all offseason for this moment and I’m so proud of them.” San Jacinto (10-3) will try to win its second Southern Section title in four years when it hosts La Habra on Friday, Nov. 28. The Tigers won the Division 6 title in 2022 by beating Orange in the finals. “Coming back home is sweet,” said Galliano, who was an all-league offensive lineman at Foothill in 1998 before coaching the Tigers the past 10 years. “Sweet victory.” The Spartans (8-5) used their final timeout before the deciding play. Villa Park quarterback Matt Smith then dropped back to pass on third-and 4, but elected to scramble and was stripped of the ball. “Just told them to make a play,” Galliano said. “Dig deep, they’ve got two plays left.’ I needed them to give me everything they’ve got for two plays. They made a great play and got a strip.” San Jacinto had retaken the 18-15 lead with 3: 36 remaining when Jordan Bernard leaped up and caught a high-arcing 25-yard touchdown pass from sophomore Josue Estrada just inside the goal line. That 65-yard drive came after Sean Byrnes had blocked a punt for Villa Park, scooped it up and returned the ball 15 yards to the San Jacinto 5. Three plays later, Parker Johns snared a 7-yard touchdown pass from Smith and the two-point conversion gave the Spartans a 15-12 lead with 6: 21 remaining. Byrnes had nearly blocked a punt earlier in the game. “On the second punt, I came and I dipped inside of them to threaten his leverage,” Byrnes. “And then, (the punter) thought I was going to go inside again, so I just (took a) straight path, put your hands up, right off the helmet and it bounced 30 yards.” Villa Park did not have leading rusher Coy Collins for the opening series after he was injured on the first play of the game, but Villa Park still managed to work the ball down the field behind Byrnes and fellow backup running back Maverick Declark. Vince Lagatta scored on a 2-yard run after lining up in the Wildcat formation and faking a handoff to Byrnes, giving the Spartans a 7-0 lead with 5: 15 left in the opening quarter. That score remained until the start of the second half, when the Tigers gave the ball to freshman running back Kingslee Tivao on four straight plays and he covered 65 yards in all, scoring on an 11-yard run. “He’s a dog, he can do it,” said starting running back Jomini Ransom, a 1, 300-yard rusher on the season who was limited by injury during the game. “That’s all he does is work.” The point-after was no good, leaving the Tigers behind, 7-6, but after the Spartans barely missed a 41-yard field goal try, Bernard caught a pass in the flat and tip-toed the sideline for about 15 yards before breaking loose for an 80-yard touchdown, giving the Tigers a 12-7 lead after the two-point try failed. It was Bernard’s first catch of the day after San Diego-State bound receiver Daishaun Davis caught the first five from Estrada. “That’s what happens when you have both receivers that can do explosive plays,” Davis said.
https://www.ocregister.com/2025/11/21/late-turnover-ends-villa-park-footballs-chances-against-san-jacinto/
Late turnover ends Villa Park football’s chances against San Jacinto
