GARDEN GROVE – Jordan Antunez picked himself off the trainer’s table and scored the game-winning touchdown with 1:05 left as Garden Grove avoided an upset Friday night with the 30-27 victory over visiting Pacifica.
Antunez finished with 226 yards on 30 carries and scored all four touchdowns on the ground for the Argonauts, who came in ranked second in the CIF-SS Southern Division.
Garden Grove trailed the entire game until Antunez’s final score. Pacifica moved ahead 27-14 on quarterback Nick Garcia‘s second touchdown run of the game with 1:48 left in the third quarter.
Antunez scored on a 13-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter and a botched hold led to a two-point conversion run that pulled the Argonauts within 27-22. The Mariners were then stopped on fourth down with 7:39 left and Antunez earned a first down on two fourth-and-1 plays, the second resulting in a 20-yard run that put the ball at the Pacifica 1.
Antunez limped to the bench following that play, however, and Garden Grove missed one chance to punch the ball across the goal line and then was backed up 5 yards by a false start. The Argonauts called timeout and Antunez lifted himself off the bench and into the game, scoring on the ensuing play. Garden Grove then converted another two-point play and the lead was stretched to 30-27.
The Mariners took a 14-7 lead into the half after taking advantage of a slow start by Garden Grove.
Pacifica used a nice mix of plays on the opening drive to earn a first down at the Argonauts 10, but its momentum was halted after two banks of lights went out, causing a 20-minute delay. When play resumed, a 15-yard loss, a 15-yard penalty against Pacifica and an interception ended the scoring threat.
