Servite's comeback falls short against Crespi, 21-20

ENCINO - A low snap on an extra point cost Servite a chance to tie the score against Crespi of Encino late in the fourth quarter Friday night.

The Friars earned a last-second chance at redemption but fell short - by about 3 yards.

Servite kicker Michael Loftus just missed a 57-yard field goal attempt as time expired and Crespi claimed a 21-20 victory in a matchup of Pac-5 Division and state Division II heavyweights.

 Loftus, who has committed to SMU, lifted the ball straight toward to the uprights but his attempt fell about 3 yards short, according an official.

“And he,” Servite coach Troy Thomas said of Loftus, “didn’t have his tee and that’s my fault.”

Servite (2-1), ranked second in Orange County and 17th in the state, had a chance to tie the score, 21-21, with 2:33 left in the fourth quarter. After Willie Mathews scored on a 1-yard run on third-and-goal, Servite missed the extra point against the state’s sixth-ranked team.

The snap for Nicholas Echeverry’s extra point was low and blew past the holder for a big loss.

But Servite managed to get the ball back with just under a second left and attempted the field goal.

“We should have won this game,” said Thomas, the one-time Crespi coach and player. “Hopefully, we’ll play these guys again.”

An interception by Bijon Samoodi deep in Servite territory with 7:43 left in the fourth helped setup Mathews’ score. Greg Portis, who rushed for 192 yards, also was a key contributor.

Late in the third, Servite had tied the score, 14-14, on a 15-yard touchdown reception by Jamar Johnson and a two-point reception by Christopher Nicholls. Junior quarterback Cody Fajardo tossed the passes.

 But big plays hurt Servite and Crespi (3-0) answered with a 50-yard touchdown reception by Mikio Island. The senior receiver made a nice grab over his defender as Crespi took a 21-14 lead with 3:09 left in the third.

 Servite outgained Crespi, 404-351, but made two costly mistakes in the first half.

Crespi junior Kevin Cummings returned an interception 31 yards for a touchdown on Servite’s opening drive. Servite later lost a fumble at Crespi’s 10.

Servite used a 10-play, 77-yard drive late in the first quarter to cut Crespi’s lead to 7-6. Samoodi capped the drive with a 15-yard reception on a quick out pass from Fajardo with 11 seconds in the quarter.

Fajardo found success with short passing throughout the game, completing 20 of 29 passes for 174 yards in the spread offense.

“We’re going to be a good team,” Thomas said. “We’re just not there.”

Crespi and Servite entered game ranked first-second in the state Division II rankings for the South, according to calpreps.com.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com