Wilcox erases a 21-point deficit but comes up short

MISSION VIEJO >> The Wilcox Chargers could have folded at halftime Saturday. Four hundred miles from their Santa Clara home, they trailed by three touchdowns in the CIF State Division 2-A championship game against Scripps Ranch-San Diego.

But the Chargers didn’t fold.

“Coach gave us a little halftime speech,” said senior running back Luther K. Glenn, who rushed for 146 yards and two touchdowns. “Got our mind right. We just had to focus. That eighthour trip kind of messed us up.”

The Chargers got back into the game with two third-quarter touchdowns. They cut the margin to three with another touchdown and a 2-point conversion in the fourth quarter. They drove 64 yards for a touchdown to grab the lead, only to watch Scripps Ranch-San Diego march 80 yards in 11 plays to win the championship 31-28.

Wilcox thought it had won the game earlier in the series when sophomore linebacker Jeramiah Lewis intercepted a pass, but the play was nullified by a defensive holding penalty.

“I was already excited,” Lewis said. “I went straight to the sideline. Saw my teammates. Saw the crowd jumping, and I turned around and saw the flag. At first, they were saying it was on them. It’s a tough call.”

Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said he needed to watch the film of that play.

“It was a pretty loose game,” Rosa said. “There weren’t many flags the whole game. Guys were playing hard. All of a sudden there was a flag on an interception. That’s a tough one to swallow.”

When it was over, Rosa, who led the Chargers to a CIF State Division 3-A championship in 2018, huddled his players in the corner of the end zone.

He told them “a lot of guys would have quit at halftime” and that they “dominated the second half.” He told them that the adversity they overcame will help them as they go through life after football.

“That’s why you play,” Rosa said. “You just want the experience of this. Not just winning or losing. It’s probably one of the most exciting five minutes of your life, that (late-game) situation. We’re just happy for guys to experience it. Obviously, you want to win. But you can take a lot away from how we responded.”