Contributing to Friday’s win were La Quinta players (from left) Ryan Lu, Lelan Latu, Khristian Heredia and Isley Latu. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
If Friday night’s Tango League football opener between La Quinta and Godinez is any indication, it could be a wild and entertaining ride.
La Quinta came roaring back with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 2:30 left in the game to take a 29-28 lead over Godinez and held off the Grizzlies attempt to win it with a field goal with 21 seconds to win by a point in a three-hour battle at Santa Ana Valley.
“This was one of my favorite wins,” said La Quinta’s first-year coach Lucas Armstrong. “We didn’t have a lot of guys and the guys we had went both ways, nobody was willing to come out. We just kept fighting and we found a way to win in the end. This is a pretty awesome win.”
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Junior Adrian Ramirez scored his third touchdown of the night on a 46-yard scamper to put Godinez (0-3, 0-1) ahead 28-21 early in the fourth quarter. But La Quinta’s junior quarterback Isley Latu led his team down the field and connected with Ryan Lu on a 5-yard TD pass to cut the lead to 28-27 with 2:27 left.
La Quinta (2-0, 0-1) then moved ahead when Lelan Latu, Isley’s older brother, ran in for the 2-point conversion to give the Aztecs a 29-28 lead with 2:30 remaining.
Godinez still had time to come back and after getting the ball near midfield on the kick-off and gaining 15 years on a La Quinta penalty, moved the ball to the Aztecs 5-yard line with 35 seconds left in the game.
After two incompletions, the Grizzzlies lined up for a 21-yard field goal, but the snap was low and Godinez was unable to get the kick off.
La Quinta took over and ran out the clock.
“It hurts, obviously, but we gave ourselves a chance to win there at the end and we just couldn’t convert, but I thought we took a major step forward as a team this week,” said Godinez Coach Aron Kaye. “You can see how explosive we can be offensively, penalties hurt us but it was a helluva game.”
Ramirez also had a 9-yard TD run in the first quarter and wound up with 192 yards on 15 carries.
“I thought he came to play,” Kaye said. “He was wonderful. He also breaks the long screen {a TD that was nullified due to a penalty}. He had to play a lot of safety in the second half because we had somebody hurt. He’s a kid who can play.”
Godinez quarterback Loodwin Calderon, who passed for 72 yards, connected with Gerardo Teodoro on a 43-yard TD pass to put Godinez ahead 14-0 early in the second quarter.
Lelan Latu’s 5-yard TD run with 8:18 left in the second quarter made it 14-6. However Ramirez countered with a 65-yard TD run to put Godinez ahead 21-6.
Isley Latu hit Chris Vasquez on a 27-yard TD pass midway through the second quarter to cut the lead to 21-13 at halftime.
Then Khristian Heredia helped La Quinta tie the game when he scored from 20 yards out early in the fourth quarter. The Aztecs made a 2-point conversion after the TD.
A number of La Quinta players contributed to the win, including Isley Latu who completed 8 of 15 passes for 165 yards and consistently came up with clutch plays on third down to keep drives alive. Lelan Latu had five catches for 102 yards and also rushed for 28 yards on 12 carries and Heredia rushed for 105 yards on 16 carries.
“To be honest, I think it was really a team effort,” Isley Latu said. “Defense played hard, offense played harder and we worked together until the end.
Latu was thrilled with the late touchdown.
“It felt good, I put all my trust into him {Lu}, I know he can catch and I put all my trust in my linemen,” he said.
His brother was also excited about getting the game-winning conversion. Officials met briefly to discuss whether he made it into the end zone.
“I trusted in my teammates to be able to push me in, all I needed to do was put in my effort, I put my arms out and I finally made it and toched the pylon,” said Lelan Latu.
Alexander, the head coach, praised the effort of the Latu brothers.
“They’re gamers, they come ready to play every game,” Alexander said. “He {Isley Latu} found the guy every time, he was throwing it to the open guy and there was a lot of pressure. He really stepped up his game tonight, he’s a good football player, we always knew it, but tonight he played with so much poise and confidence.”
Four teams from the nine-team league advance to the CIF playoffs. Magnolia had a bye this week.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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