(UPDATED AT 12:51 A.M.)
What an amazing game. What an amazing drive. What an amazing performance by Maranatha’s Matt Schilz.
The game against La Salle wasn’t the shootout I thought it would be but WHAT A GAME it turned out to be!!!!!
When Maranatha fans look back on that night, they’ll remember Maranatha’s final drive simply as “The Comeback”.
Schilz led an improbable nine-play drive that started on Maranatha High School’s 21-yard line with 2:01 left.
That was all the time the Minutemen needed to march 81 yards for the winning touchdown — a 21-yard pass from Schilz to Terell Cornell with 14 seconds remaining that sent Maranatha (2-0) to a 27-26 victory over La Salle on Friday night at Maranatha High.
Schilz, headed to Kansas State next season, was sacked on first and 10 at the Minutemen (2-0) 21.
On the next play, the Lancers (0-2) were called for pass interference to move the ball to the 36 with 1:44 remaining.
That’s when Schilz led the frantic attack, completing passes of 4 (Daniel Kopplin), 17 (Cornell), 15 (Danny Beckwith) and 8 (Josh Jones) yards before finding Cornell in the end zone.
La Salle’s last chance came on second and 10 at its own 41, but Chase Rettig overthrew his final pass into the end zone as time expired, prompting the Maranatha home crowd to rush the field.
The nine-play, 81 yard drive shouldn’t have happened to begin with. The Lancers were hurt by penalties the entire night but the pass interference that moved the ball to the 36 was the one that hurt most.
Rettig, a junior, completed 22 of 48 passes for 223 yards and two touchdowns. He threw one interception. Kishon Sanders caught nine passes for 65 yards including a 3 yard score with 11:55 in the third quarter.
Here are some of La Salle Coach Antoine Peterson quotes that didn’t make the paper.
“I think we grew up tonight,” Peterson said. “We have to learn how to finish a ball game.”
Peterson’s thoughts on his defense and on Schilz.
“Defensively we stood up tall but just let one play away. That quarterback is a tough son of a gun. He hung in there, made the throw and the kid caught it in the end zone.”
Peterson on his assessment of the Lancers overall.
“We couldn’t get a rhythm. We couldn’t execute offensively. Defense stepped up but we let this team hang around when we should have taken care of business.”
Maranatha coach Joel Murphy quotes.
“I don’t know what to say. Every point mattered. Every play mattered. It was nice to see again Matt’s character because he knew he made two horrible mistakes. It took everything we had tonight; from the coach’s stand point and players stand point.”
Murphy on Schilz getting intercepted by Daniel Carlos who returned it for a 17 yard score.
“I don’t know if that would have changed his resolve to come back. I’ll take it. Hindsight is gonna be 20/20 but I like that I have one more point.”
Murphy on Maranatha’s inability to get the offense going in the first half.
“That’s something we’re gonna have to remedy real quick. Because we can’t do that against these kinds of teams; we’re not gonna be able to pull that out. “
During the game both Schilz and Rettig were making some pretty crazy long throws, many of which were dropped or overthrown. I think they were trying to put on a show but it made for some pretty bad football in the first half.
Rettig then opted to go with the shuffle pass in the second half, though he did connect for a couple long passes, while Schilz mostly kept throwing long-range passes that finally started getting caught.
Tony France caught five passes for 70 yards for the Lancers; Michael Alexander caught three passes including a 43-yard touchdown pass from Rettig.
Marcus Wells rushed for 74 yards on nine carries.
On the defensive front, Trent Washington and Mark Jebbia each recorded a sack for Maranatha and Nick Kennedy and Austin Hall had one, too, for La Salle.
Cornell intercepted Rettig once and Schilz was intercepted by Matt Housman, Nathaniel Ziomek and Matthew Payne.
Kudos to Maranatha’s Jake Forrester who is owed some lunch, dinner and dessert from the rest of his Minutemen teammates. Forrester was clutch in a few PATs but none more important than his final kick after Cornell’s winning TD catch with seconds remaining.
For a brief moment there was silence as Forrester took his position. The crowd erupted after he once again came through.
As MuddyWaters noted on a thread below. There was an odd moment in the game when the referees had to stop the game several times to correct the time keeper.
Above: La Salle’s Tony France played impressive. He was everywhere on defense and caught five passes for 70 yards, 44 yards being his longest.
Click here for all the games scores including schools from the Tribune and Whittier area.
Friday’s Game of the Week: Maranatha 27, La Salle 26
Friday’s Video Highlight Game of the Week: Monrovia 14, Duarte 6 (Be sure to check back Saturday morning for the highlights)
Glendale 44, Alhambra 7 — OK, what the heck happened here?
St. Francis 54, Arcadia 7 — Golden Knights proved they’re just much more athletic.
West Covina 53, Blair 0 — I really thought the Vikings would at least put up a fight.
Monrovia 14, Duarte 6 — No Jordan Canada, no victory.
Workman 42, Keppel 12 — The Aztecs just can’t catch a break.
Maranatha 27, La Salle 26 — Matt Schilz was unbelievable the last two minutes.
Azusa 42, Marshall 0 — Rough start for Rickey Pickens and the Eagles.
Oaks Christian 43, Muir 14 — Mustangs will benefit from in the long run. Count on that.
Saugus 30, Pasadena 6 — Is the ship sinking? Na, Saugus is just that good.
Pasadena Poly 28, Campbell Hall 21 — Close but a win is a win.
Rio Hondo Prep 34, Mojave 0 — The Kares are rockin’ n rollin’
San Marino 21, Gabrielino 0 — So much for the Gabrielino hype.
Temple City 34, Arroyo 0 — Nice start for Backus & Co.
Saturday’s Games with predictions
Bishop Montgomery at Bosco Tech, 1:30 p.m. — Melendez (BMontgomery); Lair (BMontgomery)
Flintridge Prep at St. Genevieve, 7 p.m. — Melendez (Flintridge Prep); Lair (St. Genevieve)
