Tristan Sprague catches the TD pass to tie the score at 49.
By Tim Peterson
(Covina) – The game wasn’t over until the final play. When a pass by Nin Burns II was intercepted with no time remaining on the clock, only then was it clear that Covina had lost 55-49 to Katella in the CIF Division 11 Championship game Friday night at Covina District Field.
Up until then the game was up in the air. In game that was eerily similar to last week’s semi final when the Colts beat Culver City 57-56 in overtime, it was the last team with the ball wins. Well Covina was the last team with the ball but unfortunately for the Covina faithful, the Colts had only 22 seconds to go 65 yards and they just couldn’t pull off one more miracle.
Nin Burns II made big plays with his arm!
Covina had been making big plays all night. While the Colts would score on quick strikes, Katella was almost the polar opposite, moving the ball down the field on time consuming prolonged drives and then punching it in from the red zone.
Covina led only once all night, 28-27 mid way through the third quarter. The Colts were chasing Katella nearly the entire contest before falling a touchdown short.
The game was tied at 35 at the end of three quarters before a wild fourth quarter ensued leaving a standing room only crowd at District Field trying to catch their breath.
Katella took the lead early in the fourth on a 14-yard touchdown run by Miles Poland that capped an 8-play, 69 yard drive. Covina answered with its first long march of the game. The Colts drove 75 yards on nine plays with Ailaoa Tauvao finishing it with a three-yard run to tie it at 42 with 6:53 left.
Ailaoa Tauvao saw paydirt twice for the Colts.
Andrew Pisani scored on a seven yard run to complete a 72-yard march to make it 49-42 at the 4:37 mark. Erik Cuellar broke off a 61-yard run to set up a 13-yard TD strike from Burns to Tristan Sprague and it was 49-49 with 2:24 remaining. But the Colts scored too early.
Nathan Arrington hit Eddie Williams for 53 yards down to the Covina ten-yard line. Four plays later Poland bulled in from the two with 22 tics on the clock.
Covina got the ball at the 35 but after two incomplete passes Burns long bomb was picked by James Fraser and the Katella celebration ensued.
In the first quarter Pisani scored on a one-yard run after a sustained drive. The Colts responded with a 55-yard touchdown pass from Burns to Matt Mannino. More of the same in the second as Arrington scored on a one-yard run and Covina struck on a 76-yard touchdown pass from Burns to Sprague.
Katella took a 21-14 lead into the break when Carlos Guerra caught a short pass, juked past a defender and went 31 yards for a score.
Covina continued to hit on long scoring plays in the third quarter. Cuellar got loose for a 49-yard touchdown run and after Katella took the lead again, Danny Urrea was a blur racing under a 60-yard pass from Burns to make it 28-27. Arrington tied it on a one-yard run and then also scored on a two point conversion to put the Knights up 35-28.
The Colts took advantage of an Arrington fumble at the Katella eight-yard line to set up a touchdown run by Tauvao to tie it at 35 and set up the deciding fourth.
Burns threw for 254 yards and four touchdowns for Covina while Cuellar ran for 166 yards and a score.
The agony of defeat is prevalent on the face of Jesse Barnett
Katella ran for 232 yards overall with Joshua Cedillo rushing for 97 yards on the night. Williams had eight receptions for 143 yards and Guerra had eight for 113. Arrington threw for 328 yards total.
Covina, despite the loss had its best season since 1995 when Nin Burns led the Colts to a CIF title. Covina finished 11-3 overall and Coach Joe Brown acknowledged his troops after the game.
“I want to thank you for giving me the greatest season I’ve ever had as a coach. In 28 years in high school football, you guys have done things that I’ve only dreamed of having teams do,” Brown told his team. “There’s one thing I can’t coach and there’s no drill to have is that fight and you guys showed it to the very end. I love each and every one of you. You got me my first league championship, you got me to my first CIF Championship and I will never forget each and every one of you. And I will take that to the grave. I know it hurts guys. We’re all hurting but it wasn’t a lack of effort or lack of desire.”
And the long off season begins.
I respect that bro
Y’all are just mad cuz y’all took a fat L against us know y’all won’t be back there ever again #Covina’sTrash
@sgvinsider,
Why so hostile? I heard directly from people close to Burns. That’s the word and also if he stays he probably won’t play football anymore and just baseball. Not taking anything away from the colts or burns because he is a fantastic player, but I’m just here like the rest of you guys, reading and hearing the current information in the valley
The only one’s who suck are Arroyo and Friday Light’s.
@Fballfan,
I heard a rumor that you are an a**clown. Guess we already know the answer to that. If you have no facts to support your claim besides I heard someone say something to someone else, then leave the kid alone. He and his teammates had a great run. Let them celebrate their accomplishments. Quit trying to stir things up with BS!!!! Let me guess, you were that guy in school who had to make up friends cause no one would talk to you…..Leave the basement junior. The world awaits.
SH and CO make a living on recruiting kids from other schools. They are recruiting all year because their lower levels have limited local talent(not much).
I heard the same thing FBallFan. We will see, it will be interesting. Let the offseason rumors begin.
Let the rumor mill begin: word is that Burns will be leaving covina and heading to C-Oak or SH. Heard that from a few different people at the game Friday night.
Smudge,
I get it you just want to argue. You made the statement that our entire defense was seniors. I proved it was not. You asked how we were a young team and I answered you. Now here you go trying to adjust the bar after your intial question.
1. We have 53 on our roster
2. 24 of them are seniors.
3. HALF of them start and many go BOTH WAYS ( Tristan, Nin, Linemen, )
4. Some seniors got moved up to starters when we lost 2 youn uns to academic illelligability, and a couple to injuries here towards then end of our run.
5. Most teams will lose a lot of seniors. We will lose 24…but our young uns have been getting rotated in and getting play time and I am confortable with what we have to work with next couple of years. We have some pretty good freshmen coming up too.
6. Surely comfortable enought to beat San Dimas or Bonita next year. And the year after that. And…
7. Never miss an opportunity to mess back with someone who is messing with you. See number 6.
Drops mic.
🙂
Most football team have to replace seniors. Covina will be fine next year, the most important position is back, QB and he will be the best QB in the valley.
Young team??? Soooo… 7 returning starters? Or is it 7 returning players that got some PT? hard to replace 4 olineman as well.
COLT
Seniors
8-9 Starters On Defense
6-7 Starters On Offense
70-75% plus the kicker and punter is a lot of Starters to replace
Smudge pot.
Wrong. Feel free to look at the game films and look up our players on maxpreps.
Burns brother Daymon #10 who plays defense is a freshman.
Danny Urrea, number 11 on offense and punt/kick returns is a sophomore.
#12…sophomore offense
#4 ..sophomore
#65 Lineman…. Junior….
Many more but I don’t feel like doing your research to prove yourself wrong.
@Colt
Young team? Yes the QB and RB are young but the best receiver, entire OL and the whole defense are all seniors. So how is this a young team?
@FridayKnights
Amen. Every championship I have ever won was really nice, but the joy of winning faded pretty quickly. Every heartbreaking miss…well, the disappointment lasted a bit longer, but it too passed. What sticks with you is the struggle, the journey, and the bonds that it makes. Someday the Covina seniors will stop torturing themselves with “what if” and remember this season very fondly. (The younger guys, just maybe, will have the chance to take it a bit further)
One I saw after Covinas loss on Friday. Was a genuine bond between coaches and his kids. The hugs and tears shed on that field was something you just can’t fake? That what it’s all about … the ride! The wins and losses are apart of sport but the bonds of brotherhood lasts a lifetime. Any headcoach or any assistant coach or administrator for that matter take a look at the end of that game. That’s how the last game should be! Results aside but that was powerful!
Sgv football sucks
What a moronic statement! Since the new playoff format i would argue the Sgv has been represented valiantly both years. More Sgv teams in quarters and semis. Btw this was Katella’s first championship so now he’s a great coach? How all the other years? Mr Objective made an awesome point how does SEM beat Jim Kunau formerly of Orange Lutheran? Sgv kids are tough hard nosed kids who grow up playing football. How about Arroyo lining up and beating teams from Los Angeles to Orange County high desert and everything in between! Idiotic statement or you’re just trying to get clicks!
Geezus MVS.. way to immortalize #77’s agony.
@SGVFOOTBALL SUCKS
Let me get this straight. SGV Football sucks now and SGV Football sucked before,”We need to go back to the old days when SGV didn’t have to leave and the terrible could play the other terrible teams and call themselves winners. “So maybe your expectations are unrealistic. Next a geography lesson. Buena Park High School (past home of Oliva and White) is in the OC. You knew that right? So the comparison of chess and checkers doesn’t match your opinion of those 2 coaches because they have both been in the SGV and OC. So while neither of them have won a CIF Title, I believe they would both be considered winning coaches.
@SGVFootballSucks
Congratulations Bro. You just received the Stupidest Comment of the Day Award. That may be the most myopic comment I’ve ever heard. Well, at least second to the ones who suggest Kobe was greater than Michael Jordan.
I can identify a thousand occasions when SGV coaches took out OC coaches and other Area coaches. Didn’t Covina outcoach three out of area coaches and eliminated the top seed on their CIF run? Did you see what South El Monte did to El Dorado (OC)? I think it was 50-7. Little ole SEM also took out the defending state champion (Inland Empire) during the quarterfinals.
There are good coaches and bad coaches in all areas. If your criteria for qualifying as good coaches is to win the CIF Championship, then the SGV has plenty for you.
Stop.
Stop blaming the coaches every time little Johhny has a brain fart on his coverage and a guy is wide open. It happens. These are young kids.
Stop blaming the coaches when we run a play and our RB goes for 61 yards. Then we run the same play 5 previous times and he’s stuffed at the line because our lineman slipped and his coverage now has an open shot. Or any other reason his guy got in the gap. It happens.
Football is a game where he who makes the fewer mistakes has a better shot at winning. Pass interference calls are not on the coach. Holding calls are not on the coach.
Covina lost last night because of too many mistakes. It happens. It happened.
Our defense was our Achilles heel last night. Jupiter was not aligned with Mars.
Katella made fewer mistakes and it paid off for them. I also believe that we had gotten too full of ourselves and believed too much in the hype. Katella came out and smashed us in the mouth right off the bat. We now were in the position of having to react instead of act.
Penalties, blown coverage, picks, and missed opportunities do to mistakes sank us. It happens.
We lost as a team. A young team.
As stated by one observer Katella couldn’t even fill out their jerseys and were out manned every where but still managed to win the game. Why? Because SGV Football sucks. It’s not the kids, it’s the lack of coaching! Why’d didn’t the precious Jude and White win everything when they had the best dudes on the field at BP? Because they got out coached just like Covina did last night. Now that CIF has moved to competitive equity SGV football fans are crying about where is our trophy? We need to go back to the old days when SGV didn’t have to leave and the terrible could play the other terrible teams and call themselves winners. Who wants to join the 605 league with me? Let’s go! I once heard it described as those coaches in OC are playing chess while the SGV coaches are playing checkers.
@Mr Objective
Well said. Especially in Championship games some teams seem to make their own luck.
@VVL An old saying comes to mind. “Never judge a book by it’s cover”.
I attended the game to support our Valle Vista brothers hoping Covina would win. The Burn father-son CIF champion story intrigued me. It was great game! What caught my attention was that the Katella O-line maybe average 5’8″ 180 dominated the line of scrimmage. It was amazing, Concord DeLaSalle style. However both teams were well coached and Covina should be proud of making it to the finals. The game was of clash of styles, Covina scoring on 1-2 play drives and katella going on long meticulous drives.
Regarding Mr VVL- Northview never made any finals with Comstock and their window maybe closing w/o a delux QB. That is a fact that hurts!
Congrats to Covina for going through the plaoffs. Culver City was a great victory. However I’m still disturbed SD missed our 2point conversion vs you guys. Regardless you guys had a great season!
@VVL
You are right on almost everything thing you said. However, you failed to observe the most important reality of the narrative. Yes, Covina lost to a team whom they were supposedly better than. Yes, Katella did not pass the eye test as far as physical appearance. Yes, Katella’s best team attribute is not team speed.
But what you have miserably failed to observe is that Covina lost to a battle tested Katella team who executed every clutch play imaginable. Not one, not two, but many clutch plays throughout the 4 quarter championship fight.
The bottom line, Covina lost to a team of championship merit, a team who crossed every river on their road to a championship, not some chumps.
Losing sucks.
For the life of me all I could think about when we were presented with the runner up trophy was :
Google search : Wait ‘Til Next Year! – The Bad News Bears (9/9) Movie CLIP (1976) HD
We lost. No excuses. Katella was the better team that showed up last night. I can not, and will not put the blame on any coach or player. We, for whatever reason, were not firing on all cylinders last night and Katella was more that willing and able to take advantage of it. Kudos to them!
Oh…and VVL is Northview. Sour grapes when it’s not all about them…all the time.
I sure didn’t see it as a case of quick strike Covina v. clock killing Katella. At least in the second half, both teams were scoring ridiculously quickly. In 23:38 of the second half, there were twelve possessions, including 10 TDs, a three and out, and a three and out ended prematurely by a fumble. That doesn’t happen if both teams aren’t scoring almost at will.
On Katella’s last score, they threw a great pass on the first play to get in the red zone. It would have been a gutsy and unusual move, but maybe Covina should have just allowed a score on the next play to get the ball back asap. They weren’t going to make the stop, that much was clear, and if they did, they were still probably giving up three points. Covina could have worked with 90 seconds. 22 was just too short. But even if that was the right call, I don’t know how you make it.
@VVL,
Your a clown !!!! Just because Your team didn’t make the final and probably never has. Now crawl back under that rock you came from. Grown ups are talking.
Pomona Head Football Coach Keith Richardson was fired a couple of days ago. The Pomona job is open. Any takers?
Covina lost to a inferior team that couldn’t even fill out their own jerseys. The Covina coaching staff should be embarrassed for losing this game. Katella had zero team speed and were outmatched everywhere on the field but they dominate this game. Hopefully CIF can fix these ridiculous divisions and put everyone in the same league in the same division so we don’t have prenterders playing in divisions they don’t belong in.
How many turn overs for each team?Fumbles/int?
For the record, Katella couldn’t get a stop either. They simply had the opportunity to score with 22 seconds remaining. If I recall, there may have been only two punts the entire game, both by Covina.
It must be said that the discrepancy of time of possession in favor of Katella was extremely detrimental for Covina. Katella grinded out drive after drive, and converted many clutch 3/4th and longs, while Covina scored on big plays. This ultimately was Covina’s downfall, because their defense never had a chance to catch their breath. In the first half, Covina only ran 22 total offensive plays (17 passes, 5 runs).
@Peterson
Your headline sums it up perfectly. Covina ran out of time.
However, you don’t deserve to win the championship when you allow 111 points in your final two games. Had Covina won, I’d have to think they would have been the first championship football team in history to allow 50+ points on your final two games. Great effort, but you gotta get a stop. Amazing game. If you weren’t there, you missed one heck of an entertaining night, with possibly the best weather ever on finals weekend.
It was a Great Game. Covina could not stop Katella’s run game. Katella could not stop Covina’s Passing game. Congrats to both teams.