Portola was led by (from left) Gavin Morrell, Orion Suttle and Jamal Abdelkarim in the win Thursday night. (PHOTOS: Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone).
Portola football players, coaches and families had a massive and wild celebration on the field after the Kappa League finale against Esperanza Thursday night.
The Bulldogs and Coach Peter Abe had a lot to celebrate after Portola rallied and held on for a 26-25 victory over Esperanza.
The victory clinched second place and an automatic CIF playoff berth for Portola (7-3, 3-2), according to Portola assistant coach Shawn Green. Esperanza (4-6, 1-4) is still eligible for a CIF playoff berth.
Playoff pairings will be announced Sunday.
To see additional photos, click on the first picture:
It was a dramatic ending on senior night at Portola.
Portola went ahead 26-19 on a 54-yard touchdown run by Gavin Morrell with 4:20 left in the game. The Bulldogs missed a 2-point conversion.
Portola fans may have thought the Bulldogs scored too soon.
Esperanza would not quit and moved to within a point on a 7-yard TD run by Jordan Sicard with 42 seconds left. The Aztecs went for a two-point conversion for the victory, but Portola’s defense made a stop on the running attempt. The game would have gone into overtime had Esperanza converted a PAT kick.
Portola recovered the onside kick and shortly after that, the celebration began.
The Bulldogs were led by Morrell, who rushed for 135 yards on 11 carries and two touchdowns took the game into his own hands to put Portola up in the fourth quarter when he scampered around the left side.
“Deep down, I really wanted to continue to play in CIF {playoffs},” the junior said. “I knew my team needed me, it’s senior night and I knew we really needed this win especially to make CIF. I’m just really happy that happened. I just think it’s exciting, we have another chapter to go, with this momentum we have, we have to keep going.”
Morrell said he also had the tackle playing defense on Esperanza’s two-point attempt.
“It’s a great feeling, I think we’re the most deserving team of making the playoffs,” added quarterback Orion Suttle who passed for 81 yards and a touchdown. “We had a lot of guys hurt, other guys stepping up, it’s a big deal for our program.”
Esperanza got a valiant effort from senior running back Quin Miller, who rushed for 203 yards on 37 carries and two touchdowns. Miller, virtually unstoppable for most of the game, was helped off the field after sustaining an injury on the Aztecs final drive and did not return.
However Sicard picked up the slack and helped Esperanza get into scoring position before scoring the TD.
Esperanza quarterback Jaden Partridge was also solid, passing for 94 yards.
“It was a battle, but we did make a lot of mistakes, first half especially, a couple blown assignments on defense, not getting aligned and they exposed it, they’re a good football team, they’re well coached and you can’t make those mistakes,” said Esperanza Coach Tommy Leach. “We fought hard and came back, I’m proud of the group, I love this group. I’ve only been here a short time.
“I feel bad for the seniors. Hopefully we get lucky and get in the playoffs because I think we have more football in us, I think it’s starting to come together.”
Esperanza moved ahead 7-0 when Miller scored from 5 yards out in the first quarter.
Portola cut the lead to 7-6 when Suttle connected with Jamal Abdelkarim on a 26-yard TD pass. Bulldogs missed the point after.
In the second quarter, Esperanza looked like it would extend its lead when it drove to the Portola 2-yard line. However, the Aztecs were called for a penalty and the ball was moved back to the 17-yard line.
Esperanza got the ball to the 8-yard line. On the fourth down, the Aztecs opted for a 25-yard field goal but the kick was blocked and Portola’s Andaz Gage-Tsai returned the ball 80 yards for a touchdown, putting the Bulldogs ahead 12-7 at halftime.
Morrell’s 24-yard TD run gave Portola and 18-7 lead in the third quarter.
But Esperanza scored the next two touchdowns in the fourth quarter. Brody Reeds hauled in a 33-yard TD pass and Miller’s 6-yard TD run with 6:22 left in the game put the Aztecs ahead 19-18.
But one big stop on the conversion following Esperanza’s last TD sealed it for the Bulldogs.
Abdelkarim also had an interception on defense and three catches for 65 yards. Galileo Chen had four catches for 42 yards for the Bulldogs.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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