“You’re not done until your last breath. I’d rather die in this field than give up.”
Those are the words Saugus running back Ty Hall said after the game as he and the Centurions defeated the Calabasas Coyotes 28-27, behind the senior running back’s four-touchdown performance.
And just like the win in the first round, the Centurions won in come-from-behind fashion and advanced to the semifinals of the Division 7 California Interscholastic Federation Southern Section playoffs.
“Don’t flinch in the face of adversity ’til that final gun goes off,” Saugus head coach Jason Bornn said. “You have every opportunity to compete and win the game. And that’s our kids’ belief in it. It’s just tough that we have to wait ’til the second half to do that. It’s definitely stressful for everybody.”
Although the Centurions were down 21-7, that didn’t stop the team from believing a win was possible. And even with the rain coming down and forcing the Saugus offense to try new things, the plan was always to have Ty Hall lead the way.
It was evident from the beginning.
In the first quarter, Calabasas scored on two separate 80-yard touchdown plays, with Kayne Miller on the ground and Dominik Hardy throwing a touchdown to his brother, Dezmyn.
That didn’t stop Saugus as the team kept punching the ball down the Coyotes’ defensive line with Hall, who scored a 10-yard touchdown in the first quarter.
But with two minutes left in the opening quarter, the rain finally played a factor in the game.
Quarterback Jake Nuttall fumbled the handoff to his running back but was able to recover in what was a tackle for loss. On the next play, the Coyotes forced the Centurions into a turnover on downs.
With possession on the Centurions’ 32-yard line, the Coyotes drove down the field, and Miller scored his second touchdown of the game and extended their lead over Saugus.
In the second quarter, the game started to look out of hand for Saugus.
Following a turnover on downs, Calabasas picked up possession midfield and drove down the field, but the Centurions caught a lucky break with the Coyotes fumbling the ball themselves.
The Centurions recovered and decided to switch up the offensive game plan.
As the rain continued to pour down, Matt Long lined up in the wildcat and navigated his offense down the field. But on fourth and goal and 2 yards out of the end zone, the Centurions turned the ball over again as Long was tackled short of the goal line.
The Centurions entered halftime down 14, but hope wasn’t lost just yet.
On the Centurions’ first drive of the second half, Hall scored a 30-yard rushing touchdown and brought life back into the Saugus sideline.
With the offense clicking, the defense picked up on the momentum.
As the Coyotes’ offense threatened another score, the Saugus defense came up big to force a missed field goal attempt from Calabasas and stay within a possession.
After holding Calabasas scoreless in the third quarter, the Centurions finally tied the game late in the fourth as Hall punched in his third touchdown of the game.
With less than 10 seconds left in the game, Calabasas had possession and launched the ball downfield in a last-ditch effort to win the game but was forced incomplete by Matt Long.
In overtime, despite allowing the Coyotes to score a touchdown, the Saugus defense came up big to force the missed PAT.
On the next drive, after many tries Hall punched in his fourth touchdown of the night and the winning score as they walked off the Coyotes on the PAT.
After the game, Bornn spoke on Hall’s performance and had praise for his running back after all the adversity he faced in the past few years.
“The kid tears his ACL freshman year, had to have shoulder surgery after last season,” he said. “So, for him to come all the way through this season to where he’s at now and have the success he has, it’s a true blessing.”
With the win, the season continues for the Centurions, and they will hit the road as the team will face Apple Valley in the semifinals.
Bornn is focused on getting better even after the come-from-behind win, as he believes there is still more to work on as the team prepares for its first trip back to the semifinals round since 2017.
“There’s quite a few young men on this team that were on that 0 and 10 team, and then last year’s 2 and 8 team. So, for them, it’s a little, you know, sweet redemption,” he said. “Look at the last two games that we’ve had. I’m just excited for the kids. I’m excited for the school. You know, it’s a great opportunity for the Saugus community to come rally and support the team and I’m happy for our campus.”
