In the final week of the season, Golden Valley and Saugus were tied for third place in the Foothill League standings, and a playoff berth up for grabs. In the end, the Centurions ran their way to the come-from-behind win and clinched their bid into the postseason.
The Centurions defeated Golden Valley, 32-29, behind two-way standout Matt Long’s three-touchdown performance and game-sealing interception.
“As long as the air is in your lungs, you’re always in the fight,” Saugus head coach Jason Bornn said.
Entering week 10, both teams were tied for third in the standings with the winner of Friday’s matchup would earn a guaranteed spot in the playoffs.
And while the team was losing entering halftime, Bornn told the team not to worry as there was still game to be played.
“We had 24 minutes left in the game, and we knew that their game plan was coming out, that they were going to try to establish a run,” he said. “They did a great job of that … unfortunately, we turned the ball over twice, but we were able to recover from that and then get the go-ahead touchdown.”
For much of the game, the Centurions were playing catch-up.
On the Grizzlies’ opening drive, Jayce Johnson and Aaron McCormick traded big run plays to drive down the field.
In the Centurions’ red zone, McCormick kicked off the scoring as he ran in for a touchdown from 15 yards out.
After the touchdown, the Grizzlies successfully converted the two-point conversion to lead 8-0.
But the scoring drive from Golden Valley didn’t faze Saugus. Instead, the Centurions turned in a score of their own.
They did so with the record-breaking quarterback.
Jake Nuttall drove the offense down the field with timely passes including a 20-yard play to Landon Lattimore to land the ball within the Grizzles’ red zone.
A few plays later, Nuttall connected with Tre Lewis for the touchdown.
With Saugus responding to what the Grizzlies punched with, Golden Valley opted to stick with what worked.
The Grizzlies’ offensive identity is to run the ball, and they did just so.
Following runs from both Johnson and McCormick, the junior back broke off for a 30-yard rushing touchdown.
On the next drive, the Centurions drove down the field and threatened to score but instead kicked the field goal on fourth down.
Following the drive, the Grizzlies extended their lead when Johnson found Ace Frias in the open field and scored on a 75-yard play to lead 22-10 with two minutes left to go.
With all the momentum on the Grizzlies’ side, the Centurions drove down the field as if it were a two-minute drill in practice.
A big pass to Lattimore from Nuttall and a late hit penalty called after the play handed possession just 10 yards from the goal line to Saugus. On a direct snap, Matt Long punched the ball in for a touchdown and cut into the Grizzlies’ leadgoing into halftime.
In the third quarter, the teams exchanged turnovers to open the half, but it was McCormick’s name that was called again, and he ran in for a 20-yard touchdown.
In the second half, Frias intercepted Nuttall in the third quarter and forced a turnover on downs from the Centurions’ offense.
A late score from Saugus in the fourth quarter kept the Centurions within range following another Matt Long touchdown.
Down 29-24, the Centurions were on the brink of losing out on a guaranteed berth, but when it mattered most, the defense stepped up to force a punt.
On the next drive, the Centurions were driving down the field but stalled in the Grizzlies’ red zone and were forced to play fourth down.
Following a trick play to convert for a fresh set of downs, Long scored a touchdown off another direct snap and gave the Centurions the first lead of the game.
On the next drive, when the Grizzlies were driving down the field, Johnson threw a deep pass that landed right in the hands of Long, who called the game.
“I saw him looking that way, so I knew the ball was coming, and I knew I had to step up and make a play for the team to send us to the playoffs.”
With the loss, the Grizzlies end the season outside of the top three spots in the league standings, so they do not qualify for an automatic berth into the playoffs. They also do not qualify for an at-large berth.
As for Saugus, the Centurions end the season third in the standings and join Valencia and Hart as representatives of the Foothill League for this year’s postseason.
Bornn said the game will serve as a test for how intense the competition will be moving forward, and the aspects of the game his team needs to fix to be successful.
“Every week in the Foothill League is a playoff for us. I mean that’s been our mindset since, you know, after our preseason schedule,” he said. “Tonight, it’s a gritty win. It’s a grinded-out win. Against a very tough physical football team. And you know, I think it’s a good springboard into the playoffs, considering that, you know we’ve been sitting at home on Monday after Game 10 the last two years.”
The brackets are scheduled to be released Sunday morning by the California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section sport’s governing board.
