SANTA ANA – No matter how bad things were at times for the Segerstrom football team in its opener Friday night, the opportunity for a steal was still there in the waning seconds.
With the score tied 8-8, Segerstrom set up for a potential game-winning field goal, but Hector Blanco’s attempt from 35 yards hit off the crossbar with 5.5 seconds left, leaving the Jaguars and the host Santa Ana Valley Falcons to settle for an 8-8 tie.
“It was a great attempt,” Segerstrom coach Mike Maceranka said. “As bad as we played in the first half, we at least had a chance to win it on the last play of the game and that’s what preseason is about.”
Both coaches had to agree to play overtime at the beginning of the game. Santa Ana Valley coach Larry Mohr said he was OK with it, Maceranka wasn’t.
“Win or lose, it doesn’t matter,” Maceranka said. “I just want to battle. For the first game, we’re going to battle for 48 minutes. I have league to worry about; I don’t want to worry about preseason games and getting kids hurt. I already have a backup quarterback and backup running back (on the field), so if we can tie it, that’s good for us for Week 1.”
Santa Ana Valley opened the scoring early with Sherman Thomas’ 86-yard touchdown pass to Eric Lares. Thomas ran a slant and pulled away.
The Falcons went for a 2-point conversion which Malcolm Wesley successfully converted for an 8-0 lead in the first quarter.
That’s where the score stayed until early in the fourth when Christopher Ferman capped a 15-play, 63-yard drive with a 1-yard run and subsequent 2-point conversion to tie the score at 8-8.
The Falcons went three plays and out on both of its possessions in the fourth period. Segerstrom took possession for its final drive with 3:21 left on the 42-yard line, before stalling just outside the 20, settling for Blanco’s attempt.
Despite the outcome, Mohr took a lot of positives from the game.
“We didn’t have the ball much in the second half, so it was tough,” Mohr said. “I think we played really hard and I see a lot of potential. We have to work on a few things, but I think we’re going to be a good football team.”
Contact the writer: dcalhoun@ocregister.com
