Wilcox wins thriller

Chargers edge Milpitas in game that ends with close call at goal line

SANTA CLARA — Wilcox’s defense bent plenty but did not break as the Chargers stopped a furious final drive from Milpitas to hold on to a 25-21 victory.

As the clock expired Friday night, Trojans quarterback Tyree Bracy stepped back and heaved a 28-yard jump ball into the end zone for his brother Tariq Bracy.

Tariq beat the defender and bobbled the pass before catching it. But there would be no celebrating for Milpitas.

The referees told Milpitas coach Kelly King that Tariq was down an inch from the goal line, Milpitas assistant Vito Cangemi said Saturday, a call that did not sit well with the losing side.

“It was crazy,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said Friday, adding that Bracy “caught it but then I saw the umpire point down, so that was a relief.”

Milpitas (6-2, 2-2 in the Santa Clara Valley Athletic League’s De Anza Division) had the final opportunity after Wilcox failed to convert on fourth down with 47 seconds left.

The Trojans got the ball on their own 12-yard line and marched down the field to get near scoring range on a drive highlighted by a couple of 30-yard completions from Tyree Bracy to Tariq Bracy and Dvaugh Jones.

The Chargers (5-4, 4-1) took the 25-21 lead on a drive late in the fourth quarter that culminated with Isaiah Chavez’s 6-yard touchdown run. The go-ahead drive was sparked by a fake punt on a fourth-and-7 from Wilcox’s 23 that was snapped to quarterback David Hernandez, who picked up 18 yards on the carry. Rosa said he was just looking for something to get the offense going after it had been stalling and held to a scoreless third quarter.

“I knew I was going to do something at some point in the game to try to steal a possession,” said Rosa, whose team suffered a stunning 25-21 loss at Palo Alto last week.

The fake punt shifted the momentum. Hernandez broke off another big run of 46 yards just a few plays later to set up the Chavez touchdown run.