SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO – No. 13 San Juan Hills ended its regular season on a winning note with a gritty 17-14 victory over No. 15 Tesoro on Friday night at San Juan Hills High.
San Juan Hills (7-3, 2-2) used two fourth-quarter interceptions to hold off the visiting Titans (4-5, 0-3)
Jack Montgomery kicked a 29-yard field goal in the fourth quarter which proved to be the decisive points.
After a scoreless first quarter in which both teams punted the ball twice, the Stallions used a fake punt to get their offense going.
Montgomery provided the initial spark to help San Juan Hills break away from its offensive doldrums. The play picked up enough to keep the drive alive and that gamble paid immediate dividends as Cole Suchesk cashed in with a 6-yard TD run to give San Juan Hills a 7-0 lead.
Tesoro answered with a defensive score as Payton Churchward scooped up a fumble and returned it 29 yards to tie the score 7-7 midway through the second quarter.
The Stallions regained the lead on a 14-yard touchdown reception by Jacob Huff with 32 seconds left in the half.
The Titans defense responded with another big play in the third quarter when Kenny Ramchandani took an interception 49 yard for a touchdown to even the score 14-14.
Chase Petersen entered game in fourth to spell Hunter Cifuentes and tried to help Tesoro come back late but he was picked off by Huff in the end zone with 2:17 left in the game.
With the win, the Stallions look certain to make the Division 3 playoffs as an at-large team, while the Titans will need a win next week at Trabuco Hills to have a shot at a Division 1 postseason bid.
