Southman Sal Bustos scored the game winner on Thursday night. ---photo by Andrew Butter www.peanutbuttersports.smugmug.com

Rosemead misses the playoffs for the first time since 1999.

By Tony Solorzano

(South El Monte)- A touchdown by Sal Bustos propelled South El Monte into the Mid-Valley Division playoffs with a 33-31 victory over Rosemead Thursay night at The Swamp.

Bustos’ score, with 14 seconds left in the game, capped a 10-play drive for the Eagles (7-3, 3-2), who claimed third place in the Mission Valley League and eliminated the Panthers (5-5, 2-3) from playoff contention.

The game’s key play came early in the fourth quarter as the Eagles got the ball after the Panthers took a 25-20 lead on Jose Esparza’s 31-yard field goal with 30 seconds left in the third.

After a one-yard run by Jimmy Martinez and an incomplete pass by quarterback Fernando Ramirez, senior utility back Jesus Machuca took a handoff and broke out for what looked like a 62-yard score. However, the side judge called him down at the one-yard line, which set up Leo Artiaga to score from a yard out, one of his three touchdowns in the game.

On the point after attempt, with the crowd screaming for coach Ibis Aguilar to go for a two-point conversion, kicker Augustin Pinto took the field and kicked the extra point, giving the Eagles a 27-25 lead 23 seconds into the fourth quarter.  The kick would prove key later in the quarter.

The Panthers would score two possessions later, after having their first drive of the fourth quarter cut short inside the Eagle 9 on an interception of sophomore quarterback Adan Guillen by Jerry Valencia.

On their next drive, running back Matt Eddy carried the ball the majority of the 49 yards the drive consisted of and benefited from two facemask penalties on the Panthers. Eddy would score from two yards out with 3:14 left. However, the Panthers’ two-point conversion attempt failed as Steven San Miguel was stopped short of the goal line.

The Panthers entire offense consisted of Eddy, who accounted for 265 yards on 48 carries and all four touchdowns, while Guillen threw eight passes for 128 yards, but threw two interceptions.

The Eagles’ Artiaga led the ground game with 101 yards on 20 carries while Machuca had 91 yards on only two carries. Quarterback Ramirez threw only four passes for 44 yards and had one interception, but connected on the Eagles’ first score of the night, a four-yard pass to Jimmy Martinez with 5:39 left in the first quarter, erasing Rosemead’s early 7-0 lead.