Tricky Esperanza triumphs

BREA - It didn't look good for Esperanza late in its CIF-SS Pac-5 Division first-round playoff game Friday night.The run-oriented Aztecs trailed surging Lakewood by three points with 5:24 left in the fourth quarter and had the ball at their 7. They had one timeout and one of their fastest players, Buddy Guastella, had just left the game shaken up.

But Esperanza executed three consecutive trick plays to spark the drive and got a game-winning, 1-yard touchdown run by quarterback Sean McDonald with 1:32 left to post a stunning 20-17 victory at Brea Olinda.

"That's called pulling plays out of your pos8terior," Esperanza coach Bill Pendleton said. "(But) the guys executed. This group has overachieved all year."

Esperanza (10-1), which plays 2005 playoff foe Servite in the next round, sparked its drive by running a hook-and-ladder on a third-and-12 from its 15-yard line. McDonald tossed a short pass to wide receiver Dillon Gearin on a 5-yard curl pattern. Gearin tossed the ball to running back Jared Moore, who raced along the Esperanza sideline to his 47.

Up next was what Pendleton called a "fly sweep pass." Motion back Casey Canzone took the handoff toward his left and threw what Pendleton called a "duck" to his left. Gearin caught the floater at Lakewood's 34.

Esperanza capped its trick play flurry with a reverse run to Moore, who ran to the 29.

After two more pass completions, McDonald scored and Aria Nabipur kicked the extra point.

"We're not supposed to be a two-minute offense, are we?" Pendleton said jokingly. "We practice this stuff all the time. We usually don't have to use it."

Lakewood (7-4) got the ball back, but quarterback Jesse Scroggins threw four consecutive incompletions. On the final one, Esperanza was called for a dead ball foul for a big hit along its sideline, but the Aztecs took over with 1:07 left.

Lakewood coach Thadd MacNeal said he was surprised with Esperanza's execution during its winning drive. The Lancers had held the Aztecs without a first down in the second half until there was 4:28 left in the fourth.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com