McClymonds falls short
MISSION VIEJO >> After 56 minutes of uneven play, McClymonds somehow had a chance to tie the 2-AA state championship with about two minutes to go.
But on third-and-5 from the Mater Dei Catholic-Chula Vista 30-yard line, McClymonds quarterback Deontae Faison had his pass intercepted by Mater Dei Catholic's Chris Snyder, sealing the Warriors' 26-18 loss on Friday night in Mission Viejo.
“We had our shot to win the game,” McClymonds coach Michael Peters said. “It just was not our time.”
After struggling offensively for much of the night, McClymonds finally got its running attack going in the second half, with the duo of Ferrari Miller Jr. and Jaivian Thomas looking like they had as the Warriors won 12 games and dominated the Oakland Athletic League.
Trailing 20-6 midway through the third quarter, McClymonds started its comeback attempt when Thomas ran in a four-yard score with 1:22 left in the period. Down eight, McClymonds chose to go for two but the pass was incomplete.
McClymonds got the ball back when Redmani Albert picked off a pass, and the junior then snagged a 20-yard fade in the end zone from Faison with 7:46 left. Now needing a two-point conversion to tie the game, the Warriors failed to convert again.
Mater Dei Catholic added to the lead 10 seconds later with a trick play, as wideout Rollin George caught a 51yard touchdown pass from fellow receiver Surahz Buncom.
It was a rare long pass play allowed by a McClymonds defense that had interceptions.
But the Crusaders missed the extra point, keeping the score at eight and giving the Warriors a chance to drive back down the field again and tie the game.
Miller picked up 32 yards on three consecutive carries, and then Thomas — who led all rushers with 72 yards — scooted for 15 more on a sweep as the Warriors reached the Mater Dei Catholic 35.
But after two short gains, Faison was picked off and Mater Dei Catholic was able to burn all but about 30 seconds off the clock.
Having gotten the ball back but without timeouts after a punt, McClymonds completed a pass but ran out of time before it could spike the ball and stop the clock.
“Coaches kept telling us that we had four quarters to play and that we had to just keep going,” McClymonds linebacker John Tamale said. “We couldn't give up, and we didn't.”
A year after beating Birmingham 54-7 in the 3-A championship, McClymonds' 2022 opponent proved to be far tougher. Mater Dei dominated every facet of the first half except for the scoreboard, which read 13-6 after 24 minutes. Mater Dei had 13 first downs, compared to McClymonds' two, and had the ball for almost 16 minutes compared to Mack's eight.
“We had a whole team talk at halftime, and even though a lot of people's heads were down at first, we knew we had to stay together,” Thomas said. “We may have come up short, but we still fought.”
McClymonds couldn't have had a better start. On the first play, Miller intercepted a pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown that put the Oakland school in front 6-0. The PAT was no good.
“I felt like the man, and I felt like I had brought the momentum to the team,” said Miller, who finished with two interceptions.
But after the score, McClymonds' power-run game was smothered by Mater Dei, which repeated as 2-AA state champion. The Warriors were held to 36 rushing yards in the first half and changed up their usual method of attack, throwing a season-high 31 passes.
McClymonds did not get its fifth state championship since 2016, instead losing its second state title game in Southern California in the last four years — albeit in the highest state division they've ever played in.
“Oakland is small and not many people look over there, so it's big for us to be able to represent it at the championship,” Thomas said.
Peters, who had hinted about stepping down in recent weeks, said after the game that he will spend the next few months resting and considering his coaching future. He noted that he hopes the bitter defeat will help push the players to succeed in the future.
“I know we're crying and it hurts, but we have won four times too, so imagine how those teams felt like, too,” Peters said. “Now y'all know how it feels. If you want to get back here next year, you're going to have to put the work in.”