Colton 29 - Eagles 24
COLTON, CA., November 19, 2004 – Allen Bradford ran for 138 of Colton’s 434 yards and scored a touchdown but more importantly made a game saving interception with just 1:34 remaining to give the fourth seeded Colton Yellowjackets an exciting 29-24 win over the Eagles in the first round of the CIF-SS Division I playoffs at Colton High. The Eagles, who saw their two game winning streak and improbable playoff qualifying run end, finished the season 5-6 while the Yellowjackets improved to 10-1.
The Eagles took advantage of a shanked punt on Colton’s opening drive to set up a short field at the host’s 35. QB Jon Daniels went to work almost immediately hitting sophomore Ryan Maxwell for 13 yards and a first down then junior Jacob Gordon two plays later for seven more before tossing a four-yard scoring pass to senior TE Bryan Redsun giving the visitors a 7-0 lead only 3:36 into the game. Colton needed only three plays and 1:23 to score as Bradford capped the drive with an impressive 65-yard sprint to paydirt. The two-point conversion was missed however allowing the Eagles to retain the lead.
After the initial scoring drive the Eagles had difficulty sustaining any drives until coming alive again in the fourth quarter, but they managed to stay in the game due to key defensive stands. The lead remained 7-6 into the second quarter largely on a key defensive stand late in the opening quarter when junior DT Brad Dixon recovered a Yellowjacket fumble on the Eagle six. Colton took the lead in the second quarter when Shareece Wright (13-174) ran 42 yards for a score. They missed the two point conversion again making it 12-7. Santa Margarita forced Colton to punt on their next possession; however, they got the ball back with 3:45 left in the half and marched 68 yards and took a 20-7 halftime lead when QB Brad Sorensen hit TE Travis Boyd on a ten-yard scoring pass with 0:13 left.
After a scoreless third quarter, the Eagle offense suddenly came alive. After forcing a punt Santa Margarita went on a 10-play, 63-yard scoring drive capped by Daniels’ three-yard TD pass to senior TE Matt Steinbach to make it 20-14 at the 11:04 mark. Daniels, who threw on nine of the ten plays, found Gordon (nine catches for 82 yards) for 12 yards on a key third down conversion to keep the drive alive. The Eagles capitalized on the momentum as Steinbach intercepted Sorensen’s pass in the flat and returned it to the Yellowjacket 18. Mike Fowle’s 27-yard field goal cut the lead to 20-17 with 8:11 remaining. Colton promptly responded by keeping it on the ground and Wright raced around left end on route to a 78 yard TD just two plays later to increase the lead to 26-17. Daniels (20-35 for 155 yards and two scores) directed the Eagles on a 61-yard drive in less than three minutes as he managed to convert two key third down plays – one with his legs and one with his arm – before racing 27 yards for a score to close the gap to 26-24 with 5:17 left in the game.
A 56-yard run by fullback Mike Land (8-113) set up a 30-yard field goal by Boyd with just 2:35 left on the clock. Down 29-24, Daniels found Gordon for five, then Kyle Bryant for a first down before hitting Rod Rivera for another first down at the Colton 35 with 1:40 on the clock. After an incompletion, Daniels pass to Bryant in the seam was picked off by Bradford at the Colton 25 sealing the victory.
Senior LB Colby Rodgers led the defensive charge with 13 tackles while junior safety J.D. Dawson finished with 12.
| Colton | 6 | 14 | 0 | 9 | 29 |
| Santa Margarita | 7 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 24 |
SM – Redsun 4 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
COL – Bradford 65 run (2pt failed)
COL – Wright 42 run (2pt failed)
COL – Boyd 10 pass from Sorensen (2pt good)
SM – Steinbach 3 pass from Daniels (Fowle kick)
SM – Fowle 27 FG
COL – Wright 78 run (2pt failed)
SM – Daniels 27 run (Fowle kick)
COL – Boyd 30 FG
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing: SM - Daniels 6-20
Passing: SM - Daniels 20-35-1-155
Receiving: SM - Gordon 8-82, Maxwell 1-18
By Adrian Peters
Sports Information Director
Colton rushes to 29-24 victory
COLTON – The Yellowjackets had heard enough.
Heard enough about Orange County dominance.
Heard enough about how downtrodden the Citrus Belt League is.
Heard enough about how the fifth place team from the mighty Serra League was going to march into Colton and punk the Yellowjackets in their own house.
"Chalk up one for the I.E.,' Colton coach Harold Strauss announced to his team after Friday night's stirring 29-24 victory against Santa Margarita. "Eight hundred people (from all of the losing teams) are going home tonight, but not you guys.'
That prompted cheers from the Colton players, charged up by their convincing triumph against a well-schooled, but undermanned Eagle team.
Colton outgained Santa Margarita 436 to 48 on the ground, with three Yellowjacket running backs topping 100 yards.
"The most difficult thing was to simulate their offense in practice,' said Santa Margarita coach Mike Jacot of the hosts' double-wing offense. "Our scout team did a pretty decent job, but they have more speed than us. Athletically, we were overmatched.'
Colton offensive lineman Raul Huerta had a different explanation.
"We just wanted this one bad,' Huerta said. "We'd heard enough about (Orange County) football. We've waited a long time to come out on top in one of these games and I think we just wanted it more.'
Shareece Wright led the Yellowjackets with 175 yards on 13 carries and scored two touchdowns, Allen Bradford added 135 yards on 14 carries and scored one touchdown, while also grabbing a late game-saving interception. And fullback fullback Michael Land, back from injury, had some late key runs and bulled for 111 yards on eight carries.
Said Wright: "We wanted to show what I.E. football is all about and that we're not just a bunch of poor kids who can't play.'
Clinging to a five-point lead with less than two minutes left, Colton was in a precarious position. Santa Margarita (5-6) was moving the ball well out of its spread offense and had the momentum.
But Colton defensive back Bradford, pulling brilliant double-duty for the Yellowjackets, intercepted a pass from Santa Margarita quarterback Jon Daniels near midfield and returned it to the Eagles' 45 with 1:34 left.
"I saw it coming,' Bradford said. "I read the quarterback's eyes.'
Strauss said he teaches his defensive backs to play aggressively, which may have explained the fact that Eagles wideout Kyle Bryant was writhing on the ground after the interception as Bradford sped upfield.
Quarterback Brad Sorensen then took three knees to run out the clock and push Colton to 10-1.
The Yellowjackets entered the game ranked sixth in the CIF-Southern Section Division I. They meet Esperanza next week.
"We want those rings,' said Huerta, referring to the baubles given to the section champions.
Santa Margarita led 7-0, but Colton scored the next 20 points to take control before halftime.
The Yellowjacket double-wing worked brilliantly as the hosts scored on a 65-yard Bradford run in the first quarter, followed by a 42-yard Wright bolt with 10:28 left in the first half and a 10-yard pass from Sorensen to Boyd with 13 seconds left before the half.
"We had them down and we should have put them away after halftime,' Bradford said.
The Eagles were resilient. After a scoreless third quarter, they scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter, only to see Colton extend its lead to 26-17 on a 78-yard Wright touchdown run off a double-handoff.
Santa Margarita answered, driving smartly upfield with short passes, finally scoring with 5:17 left on a 27-yard scramble by Daniels.
But Colton surprised the Eagles with a 30-yard field goal by Boyd, then clinched the game in the final minutes on Bradford's alert interception.
By John Murphy
Saturday, November 20, 2004
The San Bernardino County Sun
