Rebels rally, score in final seconds to beat Yellowjackets

Freeman's 1-yard touchdown run gives Miller the win in opener

`He's the heart and soul of our team right now. He's a leader on offense and defense. Those were big-time plays.”

— Miller coach Andrew Amosa on Mario Hayward

FONTANA » Despite an astonishing offensive debut from Colton sophomore running back Damian Sanchez, it came down to two defensive stops in the fourth quarter and a thrilling last-minute touchdown for Miller to defeat the Yellowjackets 19-16 Friday night.

With 14 seconds remaining, senior Tyrone Freeman ran the ball in from 1 yard out to complete a six-minute drive and complete Miller’s comeback from a ninepoint fourth-quarter deficit.

“This was one of the tightest games we’ve ever had,” Miller head coach Andrew Amosa said.

Senior Mario Hayward started the fourth quarter with a fourth-down stop by hitting the receiver as soon as the ball reached him.

He then helped lead his offense down the field for a 10-yard touchdown run. With 6:50 remaining, Hayward once again stood tall on defense, deflecting a pass that gave the ball back to Miller, leading to the game-winning drive.

Hayward rushed for 155 yards on 21 carries.

“He’s the heart and soul of our team right now,” Amosa said. “He’s a leader on offense and defense. Those were bigtime plays.”

Miller’s two biggest plays that set up two of their three scoring opportunities came from quarterback Damien Herrera Lopez and wide receiver Sergio Lopez, who connected for a 94-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter and a 38yard pass in the fourth. Herrera Lopez threw for 183 yards on three completions.

Lopez had 132 yards receiving on two receptions.

For Colton, Sanchez rushed for 278 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries, including two carries for more than 40 yards.

“He played a lot of defense for us last year,” Colton head coach Ray Rodriguez said. “We put him at the running back position because he told us he could play. He shined tonight. I was proud of him. It’s a building block for him.”

“It felt great,” Sanchez said. “I trusted my offensive line. I have more trust now in my offensive line so we just have to keep on working.”

Keeping the game to a low-scoring affair, senior Adam Torres led Colton’s defense with two fumble recoveries and three tackles for a loss of yards.

“He’s one of our captains and that’s the reason,” Rodriguez said. “He is a major effort guy and the boys feed off of that.”