COVINA — When it was over, the imagination shattered successful a frustrating CIF Southern Section title-game defeat, St. Anthony’s shot squad looked backmost connected each they’d achieved successful the erstwhile 3 months oregon so, and things didn’t look truthful awful.
The Saints delivered 2 big, agelong violative plays — recognition to Kweku Claybrook and Sone Aupiu — but struggled to support up with an inspired Northview squad successful Friday night’s Division 10 last portion holding onto anticipation until a last-gasp people was followed by a failed onside footwear that secured a 27-20 Vikings triumph astatine Covina District Field.
Head manager Raul Lara of St. Anthony looks down against Northview successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Darius Davis #6 of St. Anthony is tackled against Northview successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Sone Aupiu #24 of St. Anthony runs for a archetypal down against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Darius Davis #6 of St. Anthony looks connected arsenic Northview celebrates aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview runs for a touchdown past Tyler Henry #2 of St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
St. Anthony misses a other constituent against Northview successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview runs for a touchdown against Remy Doering #88 of St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview holds up the championships plaque aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Northview celebrates aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head manager Marcel Perez, left, of Northview shakes hands with caput manager Raul Lara of St. Anthony aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Sone Aupiu #24 of St. Anthony walks disconnected the tract aft Northview defeated St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Conor Hochberg #9 of St. Anthony runs for a archetypal down and is tackled by Lewis Madrigal #24 of Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview runs for a archetypal down against St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview reacts aft moving for a touchdown against St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview runs for a archetypal down against Ryan Norried #1 of St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head manager Raul Lara of St. Anthony reacts against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Cheo Medina #6 of Northview runs for a touchdown against Remy Doering #88 of St. Anthony successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback James Arellanes #16 of Northview Celebrates aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Darius Davis #6 of St. Anthony can’t scope a walk implicit Steven Carlin #4 of Northview successful the 2nd fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kweku Claybrook #8 of St. Anthony catches a walk and runs for a 65 gait touchdown against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head manager Marcel Perez of Northview celebrates with his squad aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Jeremy Marquez #15 of Northview celebrates with teammates aft defeating St. Anthony 27-20 to triumph the CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Leonardo Ramirez #44 of Northview tackles Sone Aupiu #24 of St. Anthony successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Ronal Tebo jr #5 of Northview runs for a archetypal down against St. Anthony successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Head manager Marcel Perez of Northview looks connected against St. Anthony successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kweku Claybrook #8 of St. Anthony catches a walk and runs for a 65 gait touchdown against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Sone Aupiu #24 of St. Anthony runs for a archetypal down against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kweku Claybrook #8 of St. Anthony catches a walk and runs for a 65 gait touchdown against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Quarterback James Arellanes #16 of Northview passes against St. Anthony successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Ronal Tebo jr #5 of Northview runs for a touchdown against St. Anthony successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Kweku Claybrook #8 of St. Anthony celebrates with teammate Ryan Norried #1 of St. Anthony aft catching a walk and runs for a 65 gait touchdown against Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Conor Hochberg #9 of St. Anthony runs for a archetypal down and is tackled by Lewis Madrigal #24 of Northview successful the archetypal fractional of a CIF-SS Division 10 shot title crippled astatine Covina District Field successful Covina connected Friday, November 26, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
St. Anthony (9-5) had gone up astatine the start, with Claybrook taking a Conor Hochberg sideline walk 67 yards up the close sideline, rapidly conceded an equalizer, past spent astir of the evening trying to drawback up. They were down by 17 earlier their different large item — a 67-yard Aupiu romp with 3 and a fractional minutes near successful the 3rd 4th — past closed wrong a touchdown aft Hochberg rolled close and dashed 10 yards to implicit a 10-play, 75-yard march with 48 seconds to go.
It was implicit erstwhile Northwood’s Dustin Scurlock cradled the ensuing onside kick, contempt Claybrook’s effort to propulsion the shot away, and tears soon flowed. So did the designation that, nary substance the effect here, it had been a peculiar season.
“It was a beauteous season,” said Aupiu, who ran for 140 yards — 112 of them connected the TD and a 45-yard scamper to midfield connected the Saints’ archetypal second-half thrust — to propulsion his play full to 2,207 yards. “Never would person thought we’d person made it this far. … This is the fortunate extremity of the stick. We played a large team, and we played a large game.
“(Northview) conscionable came up with it. They played hard passim the full 4 quarters, and, I don’t know, they wanted it much than us. .. It’s life. Can’t triumph everything.”
The Vikings (8-6), who won their different rubric successful 1987, utilized a superb antiaircraft effort, 135 yards from prima moving backmost Cheo Medina — 54 connected a touchdown tally for a 21-7 pb connected their 2nd possession of the 2nd fractional — and an businesslike short-pass crippled from James Arellanes to instrumentality bid precocious successful the archetypal half. St. Anthony mislaid for conscionable the 2nd clip successful 11 games and failed to people astatine slightest 35 points for the archetypal clip successful 10 games.
The Saints, looking for their 3rd Southern Section shot title, needed conscionable 5 plays to spell up connected Claybrook’s sprint midway done the archetypal quarter. Northview responded immediately, with a Arellanes surface walk to Ronal Tebo Jr. going 65 yards to the Saints 10. Tebo pushed successful 3 plays aboriginal for the archetypal of his 2 first-half, 1-yard scores.
The Saints punted the adjacent 5 times they had the shot — with 3 three-and-outs successful 1 four-drive span — and that would person been six had a drawback not rolled to Hochberg, who was incapable to get disconnected the footwear midway done the 3rd quarter.
Aupiu was held to conscionable 6 yards connected six first-half carries, and 9 of his 16 carries went for 2 oregon less yards.
“They did a bully occupation controlling our enactment of scrimmage and truly stopping our run, the things we privation to bash offensively,” said Raul Lara, the first-year St. Anthony manager taking portion successful his 11th rubric game, the different 10 with Long Beach Poly, six of those arsenic caput coach. “Our defence kept america successful the crippled each day. We had to scratch and claw and effort to fig retired something, and astatine the end, we conscionable ran retired of time.”
The blown punt was accompanied by a personal-foul telephone that gave the Vikings the shot astatine the 25, and they started astatine St. Anthony’s 19, aft a fourth-down incompletion, 2 drives later. The Saints defence surrendered small some times, and freshman Joseph Gutierrez kicked 25- and 31-yard tract goals; helium besides missed a 28-yarder 83 seconds into the fourth-quarter.
“What we did this year, particularly being 0-3,” said Lara, who took complaint successful July, not capable clip to instal his afloat program. “The mode we improved and made it to the championship. We acceptable a foundation, and present we privation to physique connected that foundation, we privation to triumph championships. So present we go.”