JSerra Makes the Playoffs!

Football: JSerra Makes The Plays to Beat Servite

• By Martin Henderson
• Updated: 11/07/2014

Edward Vander (10) rushed for three TDs in JSerra’s 38-21 win over Servite. PHOTO BY CRAIG TAKATA

Edward Vander made plays. Nick Robinson made plays. Ethan Aguayo made plays. You get the idea.

On the final night of Trinity League play for JSerra, the Lions made plays, enough of them to enjoy their widest margin of victory in league, 38-21, against a Servite program that was fighting for its playoff life.

The Lions capped the best regular season in school history by posting its ninth win in 10 games, sending them to the playoffs for the first time with the kind of momentum they hope will carry them deep into the Pac-5 showcase.

Vander rushed 29 times for 147 yards and three touchdowns on the Saddleback College turf. Robinson completed 11 of 15 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown. Aguayo returned the second half kickoff for a touchdown.

JSerra’s Ethan Aguayo (17) defends Servite’s Equanimeous St. Brown. PHOTO BY CRAIG TAKATA

And the defense survived Travis Waller. They forced the Oregon-bound quarterback to fumble with David Eugenio recovering, and they intercepted a pass with Conor O’Brien doing the honors. They limited him to 11 of 24 passing for 177 yards and a touchdown pass. He carried 12 times for 49 yards and two TDs, of 5 and 19 yards. The first gave Servite a 7-0 lead, the latter cut Servite’s deficit to 341-21 on the final play of the third quarter.

“It’s a pressure cooker week in and week out,” Hartigan said of the Trinity gauntlet. “We’ve had some big wins, but we have to finish. Game 10 is always a dangerous game. We got what we want, a win going into the playoffs. You don’t want to lose this game and wonder who we really are.

“This was a game of big plays.”

Robinson made several key plays to keep drives going, including a fourth down completion on the scoring drive that gave JSerra a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter, and a couple of completions in long yardage situations that led to Ethan Worden’s 32-yard field goal with 37 seconds in the half to go up 17-7.

Ethan Aguayo (17) left Servite defenders in his dust on 95-yard kickoff return for JSerra. PHOTO BY CRAIG TAKATA

Riley O’Brien took the opening kickoff of the second half at the 3, then made a backwards pass across the field to Aguayo at the 5, who took it the distance to complete a 95-yard kick return. That made it 24-7, and though Servite answered on its ensuing drive with Waller’s 23-yard scoring pass to Osiris St. Brown, it was a cushion JSerra was happy to have.

It was all part of the momentum that JSerra has built this season.

“We have gritty guys who trust and believe in each other,” Hartigan said. “When we made a mistake, we came back with a big play. … Up front, we weren’t as dominant as we’ve been, but we’re in the Trinity League. There were some good runs when we had to have them.”

When all was said and done, the Lions (9-1, 4-1) finished second in league behind Bosco (9-1, 5-0) while Servite (4-6, 1-4) finished fifth. Mater Dei (8-2, 3-2) took third and Santa Margarita Catholic (6-4, 2-3) fourth. The playoff pairings will be released on  Sunday. Margarita is expected to get one of two at-large berths with Servite considered for the other.

Coming into the season, many had Servite ranked among the top programs in the country with the likelihood the Friars would finish second in the Trinity League. Instead, they were instead replaced by JSerra, whose largest margin of victory in league prior to Friday was seven points.

“Not that it’s any easier, but we’re looking forward to playing a different opponent—in the first round, at least,” Hartigan said.

Servite coach AJ Gass is hoping his team gets a playoff chance, but he said he likes JSerra. 

“They’re very well coached, and their offensive plan complements every single play that goes with it,” Gass said. “They have a quarterback who makes great decisions, a running back who has a great burst, three great wide receivers. I wish them all the best with what they’ve been through. They’ve earned it.

“They’re as good as advertised.”

JSerra VS. OLU 2014

      Riley punt block

              Conor Tackling on the Right                 FRONT page of the OC Register

More milestones, momentum for JSerra

October 31, 2014 12:15 AM 

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BY DAN ALBANO 

STAFF WRITER 

 COSTA MESA - JSerra passed its first test as Orange County’s top-ranked team, but the Lions took a giant step toward a more important landmark Thursday night in the Trinity League.

With their faithful chanting “CIF! CIF! CIF!” from the stands in the closing seconds, the Lions held off No. 5 Orange Lutheran, 24-20, at Orange Coast College to move closer to the first playoff berth in school history.

JSerra (8-1) won its school-record eighth game, but more importantly, it improved to 3-1 in the Trinity League with a finale against Servite on the schedule for next week at Saddleback College.

“Hopefully this was enough to get in (CIF),” JSerra coach Jim Hartigan said. “Our No. 1 goal this year was to make the playoffs. … Hats off to our kids. They played hard.”

Orange Lutheran (4-5, 0-4) likely had its postseason chances ended. The Lancers lost another close game and their fans voiced displeasure with a turn of events in the final minute or so.

The Lancers cut JSerra’s lead to 24-20 with 1:17 left in the fourth quarter on a spectacular, 55-yard TD pass from quarterback LJ Northington to wide receiver Hudson Hankins. After the PAT sailed wide, the Lancers recovered the onside kick but were flagged for illegal batting the ball forward, Hartigan said.

On the onside play, the Lancers’ Austin Liles leaped along the JSerra sideline to hit the high-bouncing kick to a teammate who recovered the ball. But JSerra took possession and ran out the clock.

“It was forward,” Hartigan said of tip. “(But) very scary. We had an onside kick against (St. John) Bosco on this same field that we didn't get in our favor. ... I didn't want to have another one of those.”

Orange Lutheran coach Chuck Petersen said the onside play didn't decide the outcome and gave credit to JSerra.

"I've never heard of that call ... but that's not the reason we lost the game," he said. "JSerra played better than us. They coached better than us, and there were many opportunities in that ballgame for us to make some plays."

Quarterback Nick Robinson scored two 1-yard TD runs in the second half for the Lions, who never trailed and led, 10-7, at halftime. The senior also passed for 218 yards, including a 17-yard TD on a fly-pitch to Isaiah Diego-Williams (eight catches for 104 yards).

Robinson scored one of his TDs one play after being flipped onto his head attempting to dive over multiple defenders into the end zone.

"I'm just glad he got back up," Hartigan said. "He's a tough kid. That's Nick."

JSerra’s defense made its biggest stand of the fourth by forcing Orange Lutheran to turn the ball over on downs at the Lions 22 with 4:32 left. Safety Conor O’Brien (two interceptions) broke up a fourth-down pass and lineman Daniel Bailey (sack) made a tackle for loss on third down as JSerra protected a then, 24-14 lead. Bailey finished with two tackles for losses and added one quarterback hurry.

Orange Lutheran's four-point loss joins a ledger that include two three-point losses and one one-point defeat.

"It just says how good our league is," Petersen said. "You've got a four-loss team and they've been competitive. ... It says a lot about our kids that through disappointment and adversity, they continue to really fight. They've come back every time I've asked them to."

Orange Lutheran slightly outgained JSerra, 338-329, but the Lions didn't commit a turnover and forced two.

JSerra led, 10-7, at halftime thanks in large part to a couple interceptions by O’Brien. The senior intercepted passes at his 1 and 9 to wipe away scoring chances by the Lancers.

O’Brien's brother, Riley, also blocked a punt on Orange Lutheran’s game-opening possession, leading to a 30-yard field goal by Ethan Worden for an early 3-0 lead.

JSerra extended its lead to 10-0 on Robinson's 17-yard TD pass to Diego-Williams with 4:33 left in the half. Diego-Williams flashed his speed on the play. He came in motion from his receiver position and took a short pitch in front of Robinson and raced around the edge into the end zone.

A 26-yard punt return by Ethan Aguayo to the Lancers 42 gave the Lions good starting position for the scoring drive.

Orange Lutheran responded with a 56-yard scoring drive capped by a 1-yard TD sneak by Northington with 53 seconds left. Markell Quinn put the Lancers in good field position for the drive with a 43-yard kickoff return.

Contact the writer: dalbano@ocregister.com