By Johnathan Saller
A.J. Rail and the defense has played a big part in the Apaches resurgence in the Pacific.
(Arcadia) – The connection of Myles Carr to Taylor Legace led the Apaches to a 35-17 comeback win over visiting Crescenta Valley Friday night.
The combo accounted for a 40-yard scoring strike that sprung Arcadia off the mat against a Falcons team that held the ball for all but 53 seconds of the first quarter and running 25 plays to the Apaches three.
After the game, reserved head coach Jon Dimalante gathered his players around to congratulate them on the effort when suddenly he yelled, “Yes!” Not the type of emotion you typically get out of coach Dimalante but when it’s the team’s first share of a league title since 2004 its reason to get excited.
Crescenta Valley jumped out to a quick 10-0 start using a ball control offense that featured heavy doses of shifty running back Kevin Fernandez who opened scoring on a 27-yard scamper and 95-yards in the first half.
The Apaches got on the board midway through the second quarter when Lagace beat three defenders down the seam hauling in a 40-yard score.
The Falcons opened their next possession at the Arcadia 28 receiving excellent field position following a nice return and a personal foul. On the second play of the drive CV ran some trickeration giving the ball to an eligible offensive lineman, Nathan Sarreal, who went the distance for an 18-yard score to go up 17-7.
The Apaches then powered their way down the field on an 81-yard drive capped off by Brian Ponce’s one-yard plunge with 26 seconds left as momentum shifted to the home team.
Arcadia imposed its will on the Falcons scoring 21 unanswered points in the second half stuffing the running game and forcing two turnovers and limiting CV to only 19 plays after the first quarter.
The game was iced on Sheldon McKinley’s seven-yard score as he pulled multiple defenders to paydirt giving the Apaches a 28-17 advantage with eight minutes remaining.
“I’m proud of them, they’re Pacific League Champions…I’m real excited about my kids being champions but now it’s a whole new season…playoffs,” Dimalante said. “The kids…went out there and won and in the second half they got rolling and they weren’t [going to] let us lose.”
Next week Arcadia (7-3, 6-1) will now wait for its playoff opponent and Crescenta Valley (4-6, 3-5) will need to turn its sights to next season,
Loading ...
Leave a Reply