CHULA VISTACHULA VISTA — It worked last year, so why not do it again in double overtime against a defending 2-AA state champ.
No. 2 Carlsbad, pulled off a huge two-point conversion, to thwart a massive comeback by No. 5 Mater Dei Catholic, edging the host Crusaders, 36-35, in double overtime Friday night.
“It’s one of our trick plays, we ran it last year against Torrey Pines,” said the Lancers’ five-star quarterback Julian Sayin. “Same thing happened then, it worked.”
After Mason Walsh went in from a yard out Carlsbad coach Thadd MacNeal opted instead of kicking the tying point and force another overtime, he would end the game one way or another.
Reaching into his back of tricks, MacNeal loaded four receivers wide to the right. With a quick count, which many believed to be illegal motion, Sayin quickly pulled up, jumped and hit tight end Luke Ferrelli who was lined up in a tackle eligible postion.
Ferrelli pulled it in for the winner.
“I was always going for two,” said MacNeal. “I’ve always got that (play) in my bag. It wasn’t league, we were on the road, why not.”
Early on it didn’t look any extra points would be critical as Carlsbad raced out to a 21-0 barely five minutes into the second quarter.
First, Walsh went in from the 4 with 1:48 left in the opening quarter. Then, Nico Arboit pulled off a 72-yard TD from Sayin by taking a quick out, breaking a tackle at his own 40 and racing the rest of the way for the 14-0 lead with 13 seconds left in the first quarter.
Sayin took it in himself with 9:21 left in the half for the comfortable 21-point lead.
But then the Crusaders (0-2) woke up.
First, Anthony McMillian Jr. went in from 23 yards out with 5:23 left in the half and quarterback Domonic Nankil scored on a 16-yard keeper to close it to 21-14 with 31 seconds until intermission.
Late in the third quarter Mater Dei looked to tie the game when Nankil scrambled and found Jerry McClure in the corner. McClure made a diving catch, dragging both feet to stay in. The tie was not to be as a bad snap cost the extra point.
Carlsbad seemed to right the ship by opening a 28-20 lead on Sayin’s 9-yard strike to Justin Johnson five plays into the fourth quarter.
Nankil would pull off a pair of heroic es to McClure to tie the game with eight seconds left.
He scrambled and found McClure for the 12-yard touchdown and then hooked up with him again, flipping the ball back across his body as he was going out of bounds which McClure grabbed in the middle of traffic.
In first overtime, neither team could score but in the second Mater Dei took its only lead of the game when Nankil and McClure connected on a 10-yard fade in the corner.
Farmer is a freelance writer.
Carlsbad 36, Mater Dei Catholic 35 (2 OT)
Carlsbad 14 7 0 7 0 8 — 36
Mater Dei Catholic 0 14 6 8 0 7 — 35
C — Walsh 4 run (Prasuhn kick)
C — Arboit 72 from Sayin (Prasuhn kick)
C — Sayin 1 run (Rasuhn kick
MD — McMillian 23run (Osuna kick)
MD — Nankil 16 run (Osuna kick)
MD — McClure 23 from Nankil (kick failed)
C — Johnson 9 from Sayin (Prasuhn kick)
MD — McClure 12 from Nankil (McClure from Nankil)
MD — McClure 10 from Nankil (Osuna kick)
C — Walsh 1 run (Ferrelli from Sayin)
