The clock read 2:19 in the fourth quarter. Mt. Carmel trailed Patrick Henry by seven points. The Sundevils had no timeouts left.
Quarterback Trevor Taumoepeau found senior wide receiver Blaine Raagas, who then tossed it to senior wide receiver Riley ValeCruz, who ran up the field for a 20-yard hook and ladder gain on second-and 10.
After taking a sack, Taumoepeau ran the ball 15 yards. Then he converted on a fourth-down run.
A 10-yard pass to senior tight end Julian Sablan set up first-and-goal from Patrick Henry’s 4. Three players later, Taumoepeau ran in a one-yard touchdown.
Then decision time came for head coach Drew Westling and the Sundevils, who trailed by as many as 20 points.
Play for overtime or go for two?
Westling went with the latter, and after a Patriots encroachment flag, Taumoepeau kept the ball once again and cashed in the two-point conversion to give Mt. Carmel a 35-34 win over the host Patriots.
“I took a bad sack, but we found a way, found a way to push, and players stepped up and made plays when they really needed to,” said Taumoepeau, who completed 32 of 52 passes for 303 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
The Patriots had their chances. Senior quarterback Eli Ruiz nearly found senior Damien Carmichael in the end zone as time expired. However, Carmichael could not come up with the ball following Ruiz’s 41-yard heave.
Patrick Henry falls to 1-1 after opening its season with a record-setting offensive performance against Grossmont.
“They’re a very disciplined team,” Taumoepeau said of Patrick Henry. “They don’t make a ton of mistakes. They don’t blow any coverages, and they’re very physical.”
Patrick Henry started fast. Ruiz found running back Cody Cappelletti for a 21-yard touchdown pass on the opening drive. Ruiz, who recorded 14 of 26 passes, then found Carmichael on back-to-back touchdown passes for 40 and 8 yards, respectively.
Mt. Carmel (2-0) countered. Taumoepeau ran the ball to the end zone from 30 and 11 yards, respectively, to get the Sundevils on the board. The 11-yard touchdown run was set up Sundevils senior Preston Bowles recovering an onside kick to keep the momentum immediately following the 30-yard touchdown run before halftime.
Cappelletti, who had 17 carries for 120 yards and three receptions for 34 yards and a touchdown, recorded two 3-yard touchdown runs to push the Patriots back in front. The second touchdown, with 6:30 remaining in the game, set up a two-point conversion from Ruiz to Cappelletti.
Mt. Carmel 35, Patrick Henry 34
Mt. Carmel – 0 13 7 15 — 35
Patrick Henry – 13 7 6 8 — 34
P – Cappelletti 21 pass from Ruiz (Montegna kick)
P – Carmichael 40 pass from Ruiz (kick failed)
P – Carmichael 8 pass from Ruiz (Montegna kick)
M – Taumoepeau 30 run (Adams kick)
M – Taumoepeau 11 run (run failed)
M – Carter 6 run (Adams kick)
P – Cappelletti 3 run (kick failed)
M – ValeCruz 15 pass from Taumoepeau (Adams kick)
P – Cappelletti 3 run (Cappelletti pass from Ruiz)
M – Taumoepeau 1 run (Taumoepeau run)
Originally Published: