Scafati-boyce seals Aggies’ win
Late end-zone pick sends Arbor View past Faith Lutheran
Niles Scafati-boyce had a feeling the ball was coming his way, so the Arbor View senior defensive back just went up and got it.
And secured a key Northwest League in in the process.
Scafati-boyce’s interception in the end zone with 32 seconds to play locked up the Aggies’ 10-7 road win over Faith Lutheran on Friday.
“I saw the deep ball the play before, and I was like ‘It’s coming,’ ” Scafati-boyce said. “The coaches were targeting me all game, and I was ready. He threw it, and I saw it up there and I took it.”
Sixth-ranked Faith Lutheran took over at its own 19 with 1:03 to play and the second-ranked Aggies clinging to a three-point lead.
A pass interference penalty and a 41-yard pass from Sagan Gronauer to Keegan Touchstone moved the ball to the Arbor View 25.
On first and 10, Gronauer threw a deep ball to the left side of the end zone to Greg Oliver. Oliver got his hands on the ball, but couldn’t haul in the reception.
On the next play, Gronauer looked to the other side, throwing deep for Peyton Thornton. But Scafati-boyce had position and made the leaping interception with Thornton on his back.
“That was big,” Arbor View coach Dan Barnson said. “Niles, he’s one of our guys. And he went up and got it.”
Barnson said it was fitting that Scafati-boyce made the key defensive play.
After all, it was Scafati-boyce who was beaten on Thornton’s 29-yard TD reception from Gronauer in the first half.
“Really, he owed the team, because the first touchdown they got was on him, as well,” Barnson said. “So he battled, and I’m proud of him.”
The Aggies (7-1, 4-0 Northwest League) never were able to get a sustained drive going, and the team’s only touchdown came after a Faith Lutheran fumble.
“We were so close, it seemed like, and then we had a couple penalties,” Barnson said. “You get a decent run and next thing you know it’s first and 18 instead of second and 4, and it’s hard to recover from that.”
Faith Lutheran (3-4, 2-1) led 7-3 when Devin Ramirez recovered a fumble at the Faith Lutheran 22.
Following a penalty that made it first and 18, Arbor View lined up in the shotgun instead of it’s normal double wing. Quarterback Logan Bollinger faked the handoff to Kyle Graham, who had carried on 12 of the team’s first 16 plays.
When the defense bit on Graham, Bollinger pulled the ball back, ran straight ahead and juked Oliver to complete a 30-yard TD run that gave the Aggies a 10-7 lead.
“It’s something we work on,” Barnson said of the scoring play. “Maybe we should do more of it, I don’t know. But we are who we are. He made a good read. They were keying on Bubba, and (Bollinger) took it and found a good lane.”
Graham finished with 159 yards on 29 carries to lead the Aggies, who have a bye next week before finishing the regular seaon with league games against Shadow Ridge and Palo Verde.
Scafati-boyce thinks the team is set up to win its fifth consecutive Northwest title.
“Faith, they’re the best competition, I think, in the league,” Scafati-boyce said. “Knocking them off, I think we can win division now, because I think we can breeze through the rest of the year. If our offense keeps clicking and our defense keeps going, we can do anything.”
Contact prep sports editor Damon Seiters at dseiters@reviewjournal. com or 702-380-4587. Follow @ Damonseiters on Twitter.