MidValleySports.Com

By Tony Solorzano

(Norwalk) – Four touchdowns by Rashaad Penny were not enough for Norwalk to advance to the Semifinals of the CIF Southern Section’s Southeast Division playoffs as they lost a wild shootout to Downey, 45-42, Friday night at Excelsior Adult School.

The game was billed as a showdown between, arguably, two of the best running backs in the entire Southern Section, Justin Huff of the Vikings (9-3) and Penny of the Lancers (8-3). The game lived up to the hype, as both rushers led their teams on the ground and each scored four touchdowns. However, despite Penny’s greater numbers, 162 yards on 17 carries to Huff’s 118 yards on 31 touches, it was the foot of Vikings kicker Mario Galvin that was the difference in the win.

The Lancers were doomed by fumbles, especially at the start of the game. On the first play of their opening drive, Penny, taking a handoff from quarterback Marquise Hooper, lost control of the ball and the Vikings’ Juwan Pleze coming up with the loose ball inside the Lancers’ 35-yard line. Eight plays later, Huff scored the first of his four touchdowns, a four-yard scramble to put the Vikings up 7-0 with just over three minutes elapsed.

The Vikings would increase the lead later in the quarter as Vikings quarterback Jorge Rivera ran 19 yards on a quarterback keeper, increasing their lead to 14-0 with less than two minutes left in the opening frame. The Lancers finally responded on the ensuing possession, needing only three plays to score, a 54-yard run by Penny with 37.3 seconds left, cutting the lead at the end of the quarter to 14-7.

In the second, Huff increased the lead with his second score, this time from two yards out, putting the Vikings up 21-7 midway through the quarter. But the Lancers spent the remainder of the half erasing the lead. After Huff’s score, the Lancers used another fast drive, this time five plays, including a 45-yard pass form Hooper to Penny, who pulled down the ball in double coverage at the five-yard line. Penny would score two plays later from three yards out, cutting the lead to 21-14 with 4:19 left.

Penny wasn’t done in the half. After forcing Reyna to punt after a three-and-out stand, Penny took over, moving the ball 30 yards on two carries and getting another 15 yards on an illegal block penalty on the Vikings that put the ball on the Vikings’ 30. on the ensuing play, Hooper handed off to wing back Matthew Ortega who  ran right, stopped and tossed a near-perfect strike to Penny, who was cut down two yards shy of another score. He would get it on the next play, getting those last two yards and tying the game, 21-21, with 32.8 seconds left in the half.

In the third, the Vikings pulled away again with two scores in the frame. Huff scored his third touchdown as he capped the Vikings’ 13-play opening possession of the second half with a four-yard run. The Vikings would score again on their next possession after forcing the Lancers to turn the ball over on downs. On the first play of that drive, Reyna handed off to Josh Moreno, who ran right then threw a backwards pass back to Reyna. Reyna fumbled the catch, making it a live ball, but the ball bounced back into his hand and he was able to get a pass off to Jeremy Villa, who broke away for a 56-yard score, putting the Vikings up 35-21 with 4:44 left in the quarter.

But the Lancers refused to give up and came back again. After getting the ball on their own 31-yard line, the Lancers started a drive that, after an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty on the Lancers, seemed to be doomed to fizzle out deep in their own territory. However, four rushes by Penny put the Lancers across midfield, then Malcom McAllister took a misdirection handoff from Hooper, while the defense keyed on the faked handoff to Penny, McAllister broke free for a 45-yard score, cutting the lead to 35-28 as the quarter ended.

The Lancers got the ball back after stopping the Vikings again, taking advantage of a shanked punt that put the Lancers on the Vikings’ 47 yard line. Another personal foul penalty ont he Vikings moved the ball to the 30, where Hooper connected with McAllister, who was knocked out of bounds at the six-yard line. Penny scored his fourth touchdown on the next play, tying the game 35-35, with 9:17 left in the game.

After trading punts, the Lancers got the ball back on their own six-yard line, but after McAllister moved the ball to the 14, Hooper fumbled the snap and the ball was recovered on the 15-yard line by the Vikings. Huff needed just five plays to move the ball the 15 yards for the touchdown, regaining the lead 42-35 with 5:18 left.

Galvin, who had so far hit every extra point attempt, was called out to seal the victory on the ensuing drive, as he kicked a 34-yard field goal with 2:21 left in the game, seemingly putting the game out of reach. Trouble was, the Lancers weren’t going down without a fight.

On the ensuing drive, Hooper got the Lancers to mid-field with a nine-yard keeper, then after a short pass to Penny to get into Viking territory, McAllister took the hand-off and broke free down the near sideline, getting the Lancers back to within a field goal, 45-42, with exactly one minute left in the game. The Lancers attempted the onside kick and in the scramble for the ball, the Vikings came up with the ball on their 49-yard line, sealing the victory. The Vikings took a knee and let the clock run out to advance to the semi-finals.

In the middle of the scrum, Penny suffered an injury to his foot when it was stepped on by another player’s cleat. He had to be carried off the field after the game. He is expected to recover in the off-season and be ready for spring practice.

The Vikings return home to Allen Layne Stadium to host the Santa Fe Chiefs, next Friday, for a berth in the Southeast Division Finals on December 1. The Chiefs upset the top-seeded La Mirada Matadores 27-26 at Pioneer High’s Titan Stadium. The Vikings last played the Chiefs in 2010, losing 24-21. The Chiefs had won six consecutive and seven of the eight contests played against the Vikings, including a 10-10 tie in 2004.