Wildcats give Santa Fe Christian one chance too many
DEL MAR — For most of the CIF-San Diego Section Division III quarterfinal playoff game between the sixth-seeded Brawley High Wildcats (9-2, 4-0 Imperial Valley League) and the third-seeded Santa Fe Christian High’s undefeated Eagles, it seemed whoever had the ball last would win.
And it just about worked out that way as Santa Fe Christian scored the game’s final touchdown to win 38-35 at Torrey Pines High School Friday night.
For Brawley it was a disappointing loss after leading 21-19 at halftime and then rallying to overcome a 31-21 deficit late in the fourth quarter with a touchdown, then recovering the onside kick and scoring to take a 35-31 lead.
“It was an excellent game,” said Brawley Coach Jon Self. “It just didn’t work out for us but not for a lack of effort. It was a joy to have coached these kids this year because they got better week after week. I feel blessed.”
In the end, the game came down to the Eagles stopping Brawley on two key second-half possessions and scoring on all three of their drives.
The game opened with Brawley striking quickly, forcing an Eagle punt. A bad snap saw the Wildcats tackle the would-be punter on the Santa Fe Christian 10-yard line.
Brawley quarterback Ethan Gutierrez ran for 8 yards with senior fullback Isaiah Young scoring from the 2-yard line. Senior place-kicker Jorge Haro’s PAT gave the Wildcats a 7-0 advantage.
“I knew then it was going to be a high-scoring game and that it would come down to who had it last,” Gutierrez said.
Santa Fe regrouped quickly, driving 56-yards in just four plays, aided by a pass interference penalty, but the Eagles missed the PAT and trailed 7-6.
On the ensuing possession, Brawley methodically drove 80 yards in eight plays, with Gutierrez rushing for 49 yards on six carries and then passing 24 yards to freshman Brandon Porras for the touchdown.
“I remember playing on turf from the first game this season,” Gutierrez said. “I like playing on it, and it didn’t throw me off. They were keying on Isaiah (Young), so I was pulling it back and taking off.”
Santa Fe Christian’s defense seemed focused on Brawley’s tight end, opening opportunities for Porras.
“This was one of the biggest games of the year, and they were focused on Platt as he’s the No. 1 target all the time,” Porras said. “So I was open, and their defense gave me more opportunity to get the ball.”
Leading 14-13, , Brawley’s only turnover came on their next possession, a fumble at their 45-yard line that the Eagles converted into a touchdown, but another missed PAT kick made the score 1914.
A 22-yard run by
Young started a 82-yard drive by the Wildcats that saw Gutierrez connect with tight end Robert Platt for 17 yards, before Gutierrez scored from 1 yard out.
Leading 21-19 at halftime, Brawley opened the second half with a punt, their only one of the
night, that junior Tanner Carranza boomed 66 yards.
Undaunted, Santa Fe Christian drove 79 yards in over eight minutes to score and take the lead at 25-21.
“I feel they were better than other teams we’ve played. Their offense line play was better” said Platt, who plays outside linebacker. “They did a good mix of run and pass and were good at both, but they were definitely beatable.”
On Brawley’s next possession, the Wildcats failed to convert on fourth and 3 at midfield, and the Eagles added to their lead with a touchdown going up 31-21 with 7:34 left in the game.
“It was one of those things where possessions were at a premium and we wanted to keep the
ball. … Sometimes you just have to go for it,” Self said.
Falling behind triggered a furious rally by the Wildcats as Gutierrez connected on passes to Platt and Mehkye Washington before again finding Porras in the end zone on another fourth down play for a 23-yard touchdown.
“I had to get open somehow it was fourth down ... and we had to score,” Porras said. “I saw that they were still focused on Platt, and I told Ethan and Coach (Brandon) Young the arrow route was open and we scored.”
With 3:10 remaining in the game and Brawley trailing 31-28, Haro executed an onside kick that was whistled for the Wildcats being offside.
On Haro’s second try,
Brawley freshman Matthew Moreno recovered the kick at the Wildcat 47-yard line.
Following an incomplete pass, Gutierrez found Porras streaking down the field for another touchdown pass. Haro’s fifth PAT made the score 35-31.
Unfortunately for Brawley, the Wildcats left too much time on the clock as Santa Fe Christian took just two minutes to run and pass their way to the winning touchdown.
“That was Haro’s first time doing onside kicks ever,” Self said noting the physicality of the game. “And we got the ball back and scored. but too quickly. … We left them too much time, and we were running out of people.”