CARSON – The official signaled touchdown on the final play and St. Margaret’s players mobbed Charlie Beall for a wild celebration that featured lifted helmets and spirits.
For the next several moments at StubHub Center, the final numbers on the scoreboard didn’t seem to match the postgame reactions of the players.
Central Catholic of Modesto dominated St. Margaret’s, 31-19, Friday night to claim a third consecutive CIF state Division IV bowl championship, but it was the Tartans – after suffering their first loss — hoisting their helmets and smiling after the postgame handshakes.
“We’re happier than they are,” former St. Margaret’s star quarterback Josh Davis said while viewing the scene.
A season-worth of overcoming adversity created the smiles, which received some extra fuel after the Tartans (15-1) scored two touchdowns in the final 20 seconds of the fourth quarter.
Beall, the Tartans’ Stanford-committed kicker, outleaped and then outwrestled a defender to grab a pass from quarterback George Krantz for a 9-yard touchdown reception on the game’s last play.
St. Margaret’s targeted Beall because he gave up playing wide receiver at the request of college coaches more interested in his powerful foot.
The Tartans’ Preston Ellis recovered an onside kick by Beall to set up the final score, which came after a 23-yard touchdown run by Oscar Gomez with 15 seconds left in the fourth.
A team built on resolve knew no other way to end its season. Beall said taking a knee or hanging their heads wasn’t an option.
“We’ve been through a lot,” the senior said. “We were going to go out with a bang. … We’re proud.”
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Related: Loss hurts, but St. Margaret’s still smiling
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The Tartans played the season without Coach Rod Baltau, who went on medical leave with back and spine issues and eventually resigned. Stephen Barbee served as the interim head coach and Robb Fahrion took on the role of offensive coordinator.
There were plenty of other obstacles. Center Enrique Loya was lost for the season with a foot injury. The Tartans nearly suffered a rare Academy League loss before rallying from an 18-point deficit against Brethren Christian. And Krantz, a sophomore transfer from Laguna Beach, didn’t become eligible until the sixth game but flashed his potential the past two weeks.
So there was no doubt St. Margaret’s would fight to the end against Central Catholic, which led, 24-6, at halftime.
“A lot of (our) kids have known each other since preschool,” said St. Margaret’s linebacker/offensive tackle Dalan Cragun, who had a game-high 11 tackles. “We always know we’re going to have each others’ backs, so even if we lose, it feels like a win.”
Beall, wide receiver Fernando Delgado and Ellis were among the St. Margaret’s “lifers” or players who started at the school during preschool.
“It’s who we are,” Barbee said of the team’s bond.
Central Catholic (12-3) simply performed better, even playing only the first half with standout running back Justin Rice (knee). Rice’s brother, Jared, made leaping touchdowns catches of 20 and 26 yards from quarterback Hunter Petlansky and also dished out some hard hits from safety, including one of the Raiders’ four sacks. He also had two key interceptions.
Jared’s first interception came two plays after Sam Harnisch of St. Margaret’s recovered a fumble in the middle of the second quarter at his 19. The Raiders already led, 14-0, so the Tartans were looking for a spark but Jared grabbed a deep pass by Nick Shanks, who took a direct snap. The Raiders quickly capitalized by driving for a 3-yard TD run by Montell Bland with just under five minutes left in the half to open a 21-0 lead.
“He’s a big-time player,” Central Catholic coach Roger Canepa said of Jared Rice. “Big players make big plays in a big games.”
The Raiders’ defense also shut down Gomez, a 2,300-yard rusher, and the Tartans’ ground game. St. Margaret’s finished with only 8 yards rushing while Central racked up 240 on 44 carries.
Central also mostly contained the dangerous Shanks, who finished with 143 all-purpose yards, including a 4-yard TD reception in the first half.
And the small-school power noticed the Tartans’ enthusiasm afterward.
“They were way more excited than we were. It’s all right, we won,” Canepa said. “We’re excited. We’ve just been here so many times, it’s kind of like, ‘another one.’ We’ll enjoy it. We’re all a little tired.”
The Tartans were in the moment.
“We wanted our last play to be a touchdown,” Beall said. “We had a great year.”
Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com