Paraclete quarterback Tyler Carvalho leaps over Dorsey’s Daquan Brown for a fourth quarter touchdown Thursday night. (Photo courtesy of Chris Soliz & Soliz Photography)
(Lancaster)- They wore Monrovia green, they wore Monrovia white, and they were fast. If Norm Dahlia wanted to give his Paraclete team a sneak preview of the coming post-season they got it Thursday night in a 26-24 win over the Dorsey Dons at Antelope Valley College.
With eight minutes to play the Spirits Tylan McBride broke off a 42-yard touchdown run, Andrew Jimenez added the point after, and a tired looking Dorsey team looked like it was ready to get on the bus and head back down the 14.
That’s what it looked like until Dons quarterback Reggie Bell, on a second and 10 from the Paraclete 47, went 47-yards to Delvon Hardaway to narrow the gap at 26-18 with 7:03 remaining.
Two minutes later, after the Spirits turned the ball over on downs, Dorsey got another big play out of Bell. This time the talented quarterback scrambled from one side of the field to the other before going deep down the sideline to Joshua Hill. The play covered 47-yards and put the Dons in business at the Paraclete six. Daniel Lawson pushed into the end zone on the next play and it was 26-24.
Spirits linebacker Christian Ruiz leads his team in tackles, has recovered three fumbles (including the game clincher against Dorsey), and has an interception through the first month of 2012.
The run for two was stopped by the Spirits defense, but the Dons weren’t done. The following on-side kick was recovered by Dorsey at the Paraclete 43 with 2:22 to play. Bell’s first pass was incomplete, on the next he was forced to scramble out of the pocket. He was hit, he fumbled and Spirits linebacker Christian Ruiz recovered.
In the first quarter Paraclete drove 90 yards on its first possession before Charles Green scored on a 2-yard run. Dorsey responded with Bell going 50-yards to Hardaway. The extra-point attempt was missed and the Dons would go for two on its next three touchdowns.
The Spirits lead went to 13-6 thanks to a pair forty yard field goals (40 & 42) by Jimenez. Three minutes before the break, Bell and Hardaway connected again on a 21-yard scoring toss to the corner of the end zone.
Bell finished the game 24 of 37 for 343 yards and three touchdown passes, all to Hardaway.
It was 13-12 at the break and remained so until the start of the fourth quarter.
Paraclete stretched its lead to 19-12 when Tyler Carvalho scored on a 9-yard run. Three minutes later McBride made it a two touchdown game with eight minutes to play.
The victory improved the Spirits to 3-1. Dorsey fell to 2-1.
Leave a Reply