MidValleySports.Com

By Alex A. Gonzalez

Montebello – With 1:09 remaining in the fourth quarter, Montebello’s Donovan Murillo reached the endzone, making it 24-23 Woodbridge Friday night at Montebello High School, but when the special teams lined up for the game’s tying PAT, the kick was missed wide left and the Warriors escaped the CIF-SS Division 13 Final with the one-point win.

After starting 0-7 and winning two out of their three final regular-season games, the Warriors’ magical postseason run was capped off behind Freshman quarterback Waylon Stone, who accounted for 249 total yards and two touchdowns in the Warriors’ first championship since the 1998 season in front of a rowdy Oiler crowd. 

“I wouldn’t say that it’s the first thing on my mind, but I had belief in our team,” commented Stone when talking about starting the season 0-7. “I believed that we could do it, we just had to get to the playoffs, and I knew that I would do my job, everyone else would do their job, and our coaches would do their job.” 

Montebello, making its first championship appearance in school history, had to play catch-up after taking a 10-6 lead with 2:02 left in the first quarter. 

Although the Warriors were the first to score thanks to David Bosley’s rushing touchdown that capped off a 13-play drive that eclipsed 80 yards to start the game, the Oilers matched the TD drive with their own when Joe Curiel hooked up with Francisco Mirelez, who then took it 48 yards to the house. 

Then when Stone mishandled the snap on the Warriors’ next drive, Montebello was able to capitalize on the mistake and get three points out of it after Fernando Cruz converted his 27-yard field goal attempt making it 10-6 in favor of the home team. 

However, the Warriors responded by scoring on three consecutive drives, creating a 14-point gap. 

Just as the second quarter was starting, Stone was able to regain the lead for Woodbridge after he was forced out of the pocket from the Oiler 8-yard line and scrambled to the endzone, making it 13-10. 

Montebello did have a chance to tie the ball game up just before the halftime whistle, but Colin Chen blocked the 26-yard attempt, keeping the Warriors’ 13-10 lead intact heading into the break. 

Stone and the Woodbridge offense had to wait until it was 3:12 in the third quarter to add to their lead when their special teams converted a 28-yard kick thanks to Fabian Grey. The offense added seven more when Stone, who once again was forced out of the pocket, scrambled to the right and reached paydirt from 27 yards out. He then added insurance after the touchdown when he connected with Jalen Webb for the 2-point conversion, making it 24-10 as the final quarter started. 

The Oilers then punched back in the final period by scoring less than two minutes later. Following a completed pass from Curiel to Murillo that gained 27 yards, Murillo’s back-to-back runs totaling 35 yards made it a 7-point ball game with Murillo’s 8-yard rushing score. 

Woodbridge then tried to ice the game away on its next possession by reestablishing the ground game with Bosley and Kayjahn Pitts, but once the offense got into Oiler territory, it stalled, resulting in a 35-yard field goal with 4:50 remaining. 

But the kick was blocked, and the momentum instantly swung in favor of Montebello on the chilly night. With the ball on their 31-yard line, the Oilers went to the hurry-up offense and marched down the field with little resistance. 

Murillo and Curiel took turns carrying the rock as they made their way down the field. Then, when the ball was at the Warrior 15-yard line, Murillo capped the 12-play series with his 15-yard touchdown run. 

Unfortunately, when they attempted the point-after try, the kick was shanked to the left, and Woodbridge held a 24-23 lead with 1:09 left. 

After the Warriors recovered the onside kick, Oilers head coach Pete Gonzalez still had two timeouts in his back pocket. After consecutive runs that totaled four yards, and stopping the game clock with less than 50 seconds to play, Stone and the offense faced a 3rd down and 6. And just like he had done all night, Stone scrambled for the first down, sealing the win for the Warriors. 

“It means everything. First CIF title since 1998, and we knew we had it in us today,” said Stone postgame. It’s everything that I dreamed of since I was a kid, man. It’s a crazy feeling. I don’t know how to describe it. It feels like a dream right now.” 

Oilers Starting O-Line 

LT Julian Hernandez 

LG Jason Ayala 

C Phillip Pulido 

RG Daniel Naranjo 

RT Jonathan Marroquin 

Warriors Starting O-Line 

LT Ben Jenkins-Amara 

LG Brady Beals 

C Larry Lloyd 

RG Sebastian Guevara 

RT Noel Bang