By MARTIN HENDERSON
Special to OCVarsity
MISSION VIEJO - Sam Inman passed for three touchdown passes in the second half, and Luis Valentin kicked a 25-yard field goal with five seconds remaining as JSerra stunned Pacifica, 37-35, Thursday at Saddleback College.
Inman guided the Lions (4-0), off to the best start in their five-year history, to a four-play, 50-yard scoring drive with 1 minute, 11 seconds remaining in the game in answer to Nick Lum’s 95-yard kickoff return. But on the 2-point attempt for the lead, Bobby Brown was tackled by Josh Gulley and Pacifica (1-3) still led, 35-34.
Valentin recovered the onside kick at the Pacifica 49, and after three incomplete passes, Inman passed 30 and 11 yards to Brown to set up the winning kick.
Tyler Shirozono, who caught Inman’s first scoring pass, turned the game around for JSerra with two touchdowns in a span of 12 seconds for a 14-13 lead despite the Lions being dominated by Pacifica in the first half.
Shirozono scored on a run and 3-yard return after Lum’s fumbled on the kickoff.
Josh Brandon carried three times for 204 yards and a touchdown, and Raymond Huizar passed for two touchdown passes to Clay Leonard and ran for another for Pacifica.
It’s too bad that a blatant blown official’s call on the on-side kick decided the outcome of this game.
Comment one hit a nail on the head but that wasn’t all of it. There was an interception taken away on JSerra’s last drive that would have ended the game. Also in the 4th quarter everytime a flag hit the field it was against the mariners. This game was decided by the referees when it came to crunch time. Bad calls and no calls made the difference.
Oh, you mean like the phantom pass interfernce call vs. JSerra on a 4 5 late in the game, or the side judge throwing a flag from the opposite of the field for a BS call (same official who threw the PI flag, or how about early whistle on a 50 yard gain in the 1st. Nice try on the whine, it was a great game and calls were definitely even, despite your coaching staff trying to manipulate the call at midfield!!
Too bad a blown call early took a touchdown away from the Lions… quit whining, Lions played better
Hey Mariners… Get your quarterback off of kick off return and maybe you guys would have covered the onside kick. Great game lions!!
The game is never decided by the referees there MAR595 you team couldnt stop a 4th and 10 with the game on the line then gave up consecuitve completions to set up the FG….I don’t see you whining about the inadvertant whistle that cost JSerra 60 yards and a potential score in the 1st..Oh yeah when a penalty isn’t against it’s not a bad call. Way to have the QB on the hands team and watch him get blown up by little ole JSerra. Did you happen to notice our 29 Guys versus your 50…..All heart down in LION country pal!!
i was filming the game, and the onside kick went 10 yards, the pacifica players just didnt run up to recover it letting the lions fall on it at the 50. as for the int. the ball DEFINITELY hit the ground, these refs were flag happy and made horrible calls on jserra all night, but when it came down to the end they made the right calls.
if a team has 50 or 100 guys only 11 can play at one time correct?
footballfan: you are right , it did go 10 yards, only after it was touched by the kicking team before in went 10 yards. take another look at your film.
Lion Country???? last year everyone wanted us dead….
sounds like someone needs a big glass of shut the H&%@ up
let it go
enjoy it Lions Jserra while you can,, if you think Pacifica is going to lay down and let this game get the team down well we will just have to see,,,, on that,, … and if you got something to say about the QB lets leave that on the field ….we lost and yes we can handle it,,, pacifica last 3 games have been with competitive teams can you say that?
Jserra dont let your big heads get in your way because it will come back and bite,, you…
PACIFICA QB WILL LEAVE IT ON THE FIELD EACH AND EVERY GAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I
54life are you saying that the JSerra players or anyone else doesn’t leave it on the field. As someone said on your posts from last week it’s not about one player. It as hard fought game and all players left it on the field. Regardless of officials, it’s all about the kids.
JSerra
Dont get too cocky. The trinity league will humble all teams.
I would put my money on the Christians and not the LIons in this battle.
Pacifica:
Enough Accept the loss., It still isnt as bad as the choke job you pulled in the CIF Finals against Cypress. I saw every play of that game
Pacifica had it locked up. The guy from Jostens was in the locker room at half time getting ring sizes for the Mariners (not really) Then they gave the game away.
fred,, leave on the field means leave the game on the field ,, leave the trashtalk behind, Jserra talking trash about the QB …leave your game on the field,, and move on ,, pacifica lost and we are over it,
and what choke job cif game?? we are proud of the cif championship game we lost ok but we are still proud of the team , they got there thru hard work and dedication as a team and pleople are still talking about it, its about today… move on!!!one of the team usually looses a football game ,, but we still battle on field.. and we leave it on the field and move on………………its anyones game, to grab ,,
leave the big egos after the game,,, Jserra,
Pacifica Mariners !1
Living in the Las Vegas area doesn’t give me much of a chance to go to the Mariner’s games but thanks to OCVARSITY and you blogger’s it’s like I’m there, so thank you! I’ll start with the officiating??? I played, I saw, and I remember to this day!!! Bad calls by the officials have cost the Mariner’s : 4 CIF titles, and even more chances to get to the title game’s! The bad P.I. call against Pacifica vs. Anahiem in the 2006 semi’s cost us a shot at the Title vs. Kennedy, thank’s again Ref’s! I’ll move on I can go on for 30 years of wrong call’s against the Mariner’s but I won’t ! It’s still up to the team to overcome the adversities on the Glorious Field Of Battle week in and week out! Let’s go Defense, start playing like Champions, for the memories of this time will last the rest of your day’s!!! Let’s go Offense you know how. and now is the time! Special Team’s it’s up to you to make special thing’s happen!!! Win the rest of your game’s Pacifica Mariner’s. Win for all the right Reason’s!!! You will be blessed your whole life for doing so!!! PaCIFica Mariner’s #1 alway’s and forever, Long Live Crunch Bunch!!!
takee it easyy on both teams.
its foootball!
and we may of lost but its still non league games.
pacifica knows how to handle things on the field and off te field.
we dont get cocky and we are all chill here in gg.
and jserra is probaly the same thing.
OHH AND THE CYPRESS game; gett overr it!
everybody else has at phs. just not yuuu people!
Pacifica
Dont give me this BS that you are over the Choke job in last years CIF Championship. You were up by double digits going into half time
IF you are so over it, Why did the Super Star (Ortiz) receiver’s brother transfer to Cypress? Check the paper the younger brother threw a TD for Cyress in the game against University. I guess the older brother should have transferred too Just let me know and I can arrange for you guys to get a look at the Centurions CIF ring. I know that sounds strange. Coach Fenton has brought some pride to the Cypress. At one time the only decent football being played was the Pop warner teams on Saturday. many of those players end up at Pacifica
Come on guys, let be honest It sucks to blow an opportunity like that . The Mariners were crushing Cypress. I feel bad for the young men that have to live with that. I know first hand.
well actually ortiz’s lil bro transfered because he didnt like the way pacifica’s BASEBALL coaches coached and he said that cypress had a better baseball progam thats why but he is also a football player as QB
Hey, Encore: Officiating didn’t cost the Mariners in 1978 vs. El Modena. I was there. Pacifica was the better team, drove the length of the field on its first possession and fumbled the ball away. El Mo goes 3 and out. PHS drives again, scores a touchdown. And, stupid as it sounds, all the energy and momentum with that team disappears with the missed PAT. It was like someone popped the balloon.
El Modena outplayed us the rest of that game and were deserving winners at Anaheim Stadium.
HS football was so much better back then. Teams played defense. That ‘78 PHS team gave up 28 regular-season points (61 including 4 playoff games, 20 of them to El Mo). Last 3 games Pacifica has surrendered 28, 34 and 37.
J serra is just a little cocky because that actually won a game for once in their football career.. let them have this one mariners..you guys are a far better team anyways. lions are just proof of how a terrible team try to take opponents down by their 1 win game..good sportsmanship lions..you guys suck