RANCHO CUCAMONGA – When you’re going good, you just find a way to win.
Things are going good for Mission Viejo’s football team, which overcame some electrifying plays and a late charge by Rancho Cucamonga to win, 38-35, Friday night in the CIF-SS West Valley Division second round at Los Osos High.
Brock Johnson’s 18-yard touchdown pass to Steven Munoz with 1:07 left capped a thrilling victory for the No. 2 seed Diablos (10-2), who are the county’s lone representative left in the West Valley playoffs. Mission Viejo will be home for its semifinal against Great Oak of Temecula.
Defense had been the story during Mission Viejo’s extended winning streak. The Diablos came in allowing 13.1 points per game over their last nine.
The Cougars (7-5) scored 21 unanswered points late to give Rancho Cucamonga a 35-31 advantage with 1:49 remaining. Aaron Manning’s 22-yard touchdown reception on a pass from Angel Matute completed the 17-point comeback for the Cougars.
Mission Viejo was in desperate need of a big play, and it got one from Connor Hill on the ensuing kickoff. Hill hugged the left sideline as he returned the ball 76 yards to the Rancho Cucamonga 20.
“It was almost like he was made to do it,” Diablos coach Bob Johnson said of Hill’s runback. “He just wasn’t going to go down.”
Brock Johnson entered the decisive drive 1 for his past 7 pass attempts. He fired two more incomplete passes on second and third downs to bring up a fourth-and-8 at the Cougars’ 18.
With the game hanging in the balance, Johnson fired the ball to his slot receiver, and Munoz carried it into the end zone to give Mission Viejo its redemption.
“Where there’s a will, there’s a way, and we’re going to find it,” Bob Johnson said. “At that point, you need a guy to come up with a giant play. It was Connor Hill and Brock (Johnson).”
Mission Viejo, the county’s fourth-ranked team, has won 10 games in a row. The reward is a home date with Great Oak in the semifinals. The Wolfpack (10-2) was the second seed out of the Southwestern League this season.
For much of the game, the Diablos leaned on the running game to set up the pass. Rome Innocenzi shouldered the load with 28 carries for 151 yards and three touchdowns.
Brock Johnson completed 13 of 27 passes for 227 yards and two touchdowns.
Nick Castelli was Johnson’s favorite target with seven catches for 96 yards.
