Paraclete escapes the grasp of San Dimas to reach the Finals
The last time these two banged heads was on November 23, 2012 in the Mid-Valley Semi Finals and Paraclete came out on top at home. This time it’s in the Finals and it’s at San Dimas. Here’s how it went last year. Mid Valley Staffer Duane Barker wrote the story.
(Lancaster) The Paraclete Spirits erased a 14-0 1st quarter deficit and went on to win a hard fought battle with the San Dimas Saints 28-20 Friday night at Brent Carder Marauder Stadium on the campus of Antelope Valley College and punch their ticket to the Mid Valley Division final.
The Saints came out hitting hard and forced a Tyler Carvahlo fumble on the Spirits opening possession that San Dimas recovered on the Paraclete 42. Five plays later Josh Avila found Noah Reep on an 18 yard pitch an catch for the score. Eric Ware added the extra point and the Saints took full advantage of the turnover.
After a Spirit punt backed San Dimas up to their own nine yard line, the Saints went marching and ground up 91 yards on nine plays with Jake Payton covering the final 14 yards to paydirt. With the Ware extra point, San Dimas was up two scores and sent a shock wave through the Paraclete faithful.
With his troops down 14 Spirit head coach Norm Dahlia called a time out to rally his team and try to regain their focus. It worked to perfection as Paraclete went on an eight play drive the covered 67 yards with Carvahlo hitting Chad Hall from 18 yards out. Andrew Jimenez hit the extra point to draw the Spirits to within seven.
When asked after the game what he said to his team during the early time out, coach Dahlia responded “I told them they needed to settle down. The reality is we haven’t played a hard hitting physical team in awhile and we get complacent. You can’t simulate what somebody like San Dimas does and that’s hard physical football.”
Paraclete’s defense managed to stop the Saint attack on the ensuing drive forcing a punt that left the Spirits deep in their own side of the field at the two. Carvahlo and the Spirit offense accepted the challenge and proceeded to march 98 yards on 11 plays with Triston Brown catching an inside screen and taking the ball 25 yards for the score. Jimenez added the extra point to knot the game at 14.
San Dimas came back to end the first half 17-14 on a 32 yard field goal by Ware. The score finalized a 12 play drive that consumed 4:43 of the second period.
Disaster struck for the Saints to start the second half. On the first play from scrimmage, Reece Alvarado fumbled at his own 48 and the ball was recovered by Paraclete. Six plays later Carvahlo found Anthony Gonzalez from four yards away after play action had drawn the Saint defender up to the line of scrimmage. Carvahlo finished the night hitting on 11 of 14 passes for 196 yards and three touchdowns passing.
Early in the final frame San Dimas drew to within a single point on a 30 yard field goal by Ware to end an 11 play drive.
That was as close as the Saints got as Paraclete responded to the score with a drive of 70 yards that was finished off by Carvahlo on a four yard run.
San Dimas’ last gasp ended at the Spirit 33 as on fourth a six Avila’s short pass to Cody McNeal was completed but McNeal was hit right away and got only three of the six yards the Saints needed.
From there the Spirits only needed to get one first down and were able to run out the rest of the clock and earn a trip to the finals.
Paraclete will now travel south to take on the Monrovia Wildcats who advance by way of their 42-31 win over Sierra Canyon.
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