By Thuy Ho
The second-round of the Southern Section CIF playoffs showed two very evenly matched teams in what came down to be the inverse replay of last year’s battle that had Westminster High hosting Woodbridge High.
A year later, and now with the Warriors hosting a big crowd, each side had its moments to be proud of.
The game was covered by Cox Communications and the TV cameras were everywhere along with its announcer and former NFL quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
By Thuy Ho
The second-round of the Southern Section CIF playoffs showed two very evenly matched teams in what came down to be the inverse replay of last year’s battle that had Westminster High hosting Woodbridge High.
A year later, and now with the Warriors hosting a big crowd, each side had its moments to be proud of.
The game was covered by Cox Communications and the TV cameras were everywhere along with its announcer and former NFL quarterback Vince Ferragamo.
To set the tone, all were reminded that last year Woodbridge held on to win the game 20-17 as the Lions fumbled on a first and goal situation on the Warrior’s 4-yard line.
Westminster jumped out quick with a 77-yard drive that consumed clock and showcased the running of senior quarterback Daniel Thomsen who rushed for a 1-yard plunge to put the Lions on the board.
Thomsen ended up with 107 yards on 23 carries.
After a great kickoff by Rodrigo Miranda (who made three extra points on the night, keeping him a perfect 25 of 25 on the season) the Warrriors moved the ball for a few first downs before Westminster’s Joseph Perez intercepted a pass and raced down the Woodbridge sideline for a 52-yard touchdown.
The Lions held a 14-0 lead in the first quarter and that turned out to be the halftime score as well.
The third quarter was a back and forth battle of short drives and long punts as each defense settled in. The Lions had a 10-yard return as Perez deflected a pass to the outstretched arms of Richard Chavez. After big passes to Dat Tran and Daniel White the Lions saw Humberto Maciel easily take in a 1-yard touchdown with a wall of offensive line clearing his path.
Maciel led the team with 125 yards on 24 hard-working carries and the Lions were on Easy Street with a 21-0 led in the fourth quarter.
Or so it seemed.
Desperate times call for desperate measures and the Warrior staff threw all caution to the wind.
The Woodridge defense was able to pick up some of their own opportunistic fumbles as broken plays became the norm, scoring on two long touchdowns and narrowing the gap to 21-14.
The Lions missed on a game-clinching drive and Maciel boomed a 57-yard punt downed on the Warriors' 10 yard line.
With 1:25 left on the clock the game became loud and nerve racking for all in the beautiful new stadium at University High School. Big plays on each side, but the advantage always seemed to go to the Warriors.
How cruel can this game be where the Lions lose a playoff game last season to the Warriors in the exact same situation and have it happen in the opposite manner this year?
The football gods were looking for more intriguing entertainment than that however, as this year the final play was Woodbridge juggling the hand-off on the 4-yard line and the ball rolling into the end zone as both teams scrambled to find the ball and the fate of this game and season.
To complete the revenge of last season, the ball was pounced on by Roger Bailon and the Lions had the ball, victory, and the final nail in the coffin of the Woodbridge season.
This was as close as sports comes to sheer jubilation and heartbreak.
The unbelievable cheering section and support of the Westminster crowd was certainly a big reason that the team pushed so hard to please.
Westminster High school spirit is sky high and the entire sports community of the school is reaping its rewards.
The team was sent off and received by a huge crowd of band, cheer, drumline, basketball and wrestling players, coaches, teachers and friends and nobody was disappointed who paid the $3 tickets.
The Lions move to the third round of the playoffs for the first time since 1985 where Friday night they will play at home in Bill Boswell stadium at 7 p.m. vs the two-time defending CIF Champion and No. 1 ranked team for the past threee years, Corona Del Mar.
Black Friday indeed.
