Jordan Taylor looks for yardage against the Wildcats
(San Dimas)- If you looked up what the word “DONE” meant in the dictionary early Friday night the following would have appeared as the definition: “Monrovia 28 San Dimas 7, with less than eight minutes to play.”
That may or may not be in your Funk & Wagnalls…but if you had stuck the proverbial fork in the Saints you would have found them undercooked.
Quarterback Codee Watts engineered a fourth quarter comeback with three touchdown passes and San Dimas took a 35-34 victory over Monrovia in overtime at Saints Stadium.
In the final minutes of regulation the Wildcats were looking to grind down the clock. Strongman Derrick Johnson was headed up field on a 10-yard run when he was stripped from behind. The ball was kicked forward and recovered by SD at its own 42 with 2:30 to play.
The Saints Jordan Taylor broke off a 33-yard run to the M-Town 25. Two plays later Watts hit Dillon Corona for a 12-yard gain and a roughing the passer penalty was called on Monrovia’s Ellis McCarthy to set up a first and goal at the five with 1:28 remaining.
First Down & Goal: Watts looks right and goes to Kevin Kolbeck on the fade. The receiver gets his hands on it, but loses control trying to get his feet down.
Second Down & Goal: Watts rolls to his right. Kolbeck is in the corner again, but Watts fires upfield to Angel Gonzalez but the ball goes off his shoulder incomplete. There is 1:15 to play.
Third Down & Goal: Dillon Corona is smothered at the line of scrimmage. Appropriate time outs are taken.
Fourth & Goal: Watts drifts to his right again, he throws Kolbeck’s way again, and this time the talented receiver makes the grab, sticks his feet, and scores the touchdown. Corona adds the point after, Monrovia swings and misses in the final minutes of the fourth, then it was over time.
In the top half of the first frame of OT (with the ball placed at the 25) SD HC Bill Zernickow calls a gadget play that had failed twice earlier in the evening. A hand off and then a pitch to Kolbeck worked this time when Watts caught the subsequent pass and took the ball to Wildcats four. Two plays later Nathan Torres blasted in and it was 35-28 following the PAT.
In the bottom half of the frame Nick Bueno hit Jay Henderson on a slant route that took the ball to the five. One play later Michael Harris swept left to paydirt and it was 35-34. M-Town HC Ryan Maddox was going for two.
Bueno running right cut forward and was dragged down at the one foot line. A flag in the backfield indicated holding on the Wildcats and the game was over.
The rematch of the 2009 Mid-Valley CIF final, which couldn’t have been played under better conditions and in complete contrast to the undersea battle at Citrus in mid December, turned with 8:24 to play in the fourth on a bad snap exchange between center and quarterback for Monrovia. The Saints recovered at the Wildcats 29 and two plays later Watts went 34-yards to Kolbeck for the score.
Still up by two scores M-Town’s next series was bogged down by holding and illegal substitution penalties forcing them to punt. With 5:41 to play the Saints took over first and 10 at their own 15. First pass incomplete. Then a 4-yard toss to Taylor and a 18-yard completion to Kolbeck. Watts went deep on the next play, Devante Brown had his man beat but the ball went through his hands. A false start was followed by another incompletion before Watts went to Corona for 8-yards to set up a fourth and seven at the SD 40.
Kolbeck grabbed the 11-yard pass from Watts to set his team up inside Monrovia territory. Then Watts got the Wildcat secondary to bite on play action, with Kolbeck in double coverage, and found a wide open Angel Gonzalez for a 33-yard gain to 16- yard line. Watts covered the final distance by going back to Brown for the score: 28-21, Monrovia with 3:31 to play.
M-Town took possession at its own 33 following the kick. Harris was thrown for a 3-yard loss and then the fumble was forced from Johnson.
The end of the contest was far different than the first three and a half quarters. After both team missed scoring opportunities in the first quarter Watts put SD on top at the 11:51 mark of the second with a 1-yard run.
Monrovia answered back three minutes later when Harris went in from 4-yards out.
San Dimas’ next possession ended in disaster when a pitch from Watts to Taylor bounced between them and was scooped up by Johnson who was shooting the gap. Johnson returned the ball 16-yards for the score. The Saints next possession ended with similar results when McCarthy forced the lineman opposite him back on a punt. Watts’ kick hit his lineman, went into the air where McCarthy won the jump ball, and the 38-yard foot race to the endzone.
Down 21-7 at the break, SD hopes sank further when an eight minute drive to start the third quarter yielded nothing after Watts was sacked on fourth and eight from the Wildcat 15 by Adrian Velasco. Two plays later Harris went 58-yards to make it 28-7.
Watts finished 17 of 28 for 231 yards and three scores, six of those passes going to Kolbeck for 95 yards and two scores. Watt was sacked four times and limited to just 25 yards rushing on 14 attempts.
For Monrovia Nick Bueno was 5 of 10 passing for 57 yards, he rushed for 82. Harris finished with six carries for 77 yards and three touchdowns.
The Wildcats play South Hills Thursday night at Covina District Field, while the Saints open Valle Vista play at Nogales.
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