Johnson: Only call is try for two
Cerritos - Was it the right call?
The question is sure to reverberate from players, fans and coaches throughout the county after No. 2 Mission Viejo chose to go for the 2-point conversion and the victory in the final minute Friday night against Servite.
Mission Viejo’s pass attempt fell incomplete and No. 3 Servite held on for the triumph, 19-18, in the CIF-SS Pac-5 Division football semifinal at Cerritos College.
“I did it last year,” said Servite coach Troy Thomas about the decision. “I think it was the right call. They had the momentum. You have to be aggressive there and go for two.”
Mission Viejo (12-1) missed both PATs before their third touchdown, which came on Dallin McEwen’s 18-yard pass to Marc Millan to make it 19-18 with 47 seconds remaining in the game.
The Diablos called timeout to set up the play. McEwen dropped back and was looking for Maurice Green over the middle in the back of the end zone, but they couldn’t connect.
“I would never do anything but go for it in that situation,” Mission Viejo coach Bob Johnson said. “I owed it to my team. I think this is a very, very special team. If I had the decision over, I would do the same thing.”
Servite (12-1) lost to Lakewood in the first round of the playoffs last season, 835-34, when the Friars failed to convert their 2-point try in the closing moments. Thomas also chose to attempt a pass on the play, and it to fell incomplete.
“They just missed,” said of Thomas of Mission Viejo’s pass try. “I was in the same situation last year and we just missed it. I still remember it. My heart goes out to Mission Viejo. They played a great game.”
Friday’s defeat was the first of the season for Mission Viejo, which recaptured the South Coast League championship for the first time since 2006 and was playing for its first finals appearance since winning CIF in 2004.
“This is one of the most special groups I have had,” Johnson said. “This is a hard way to have it stopped. I’m going to miss the team. The players just had such special chemistry.”
