LA HABRA – The first-round playoff in the Southwest Division between La Habra and Capistrano Valley was the high-scoring affair that most analysts expected.
But the outcome was a shocker.
The Cougars trailed by two touchdowns early in the second half, but then went on to score the next 20 points and hung on for a 44-42 victory over the third-seeded Highlanders at La Habra High.
Capo Valley (8-3) will host a second-round game against Valencia, which defeated Northwood, next week. The last time La Habra (7-4) lost in the first round of the playoffs was 1999.
“Our kids have been this resilient all year,” Cougars coach Ernst Bucher said. “We knew we could score. We’ve scored all year.”
La Habra led, 28-21, at the half and when Eric Garcia returned the second-half kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown to make it a two-touchdown lead, there was a sense the Highlanders would take control.
A 27-yard field goal from Adam Gordon got the Cougars a little closer.
A key sequence came later in the third, when the Highlanders failed to convert on fourth-and-10 from the Capo Valley 20.
The Cougars took over, and thanks to a 15-yard personal-foul penalty for a late hit and then a 15-yard unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty, advanced to the La Habra 33.
Jordon Bocko ended the drive seven plays later with a 1-yard touchdown run and ran in the 2-point conversion to get the Cougars within a field goal with nearly the entire fourth quarter remaining.
The Highlanders then went three-and-out and never got into sync offensively the rest of the game.
Capo Valley got the ball back and went 70 yards in five plays, ending the drive with a 27-yard touchdown pass from Gavin Pruett to Gordon to give the Cougars a 39-35 lead, their first lead since early in the first quarter.
The Cougars weren’t finished.
Matt Griu tackled La Habra quarterback Eric Barriere in the end zone to up the lead to six points. Then a critical 18-yard field goal from Gordon gave Capo Valley a two-score lead with 2:31 left.
On the Highlanders’ next drive, Stephen Gichuru intercepted Barriere.
“That’s a good team,” La Habra coach Frank Mazzotta said. “They come from a good league. They are used to playing good teams.”
Pruett passed for 286 yards and three TDs.
Contact the writer: lponsi@ocregister.com
