FOOTBALL: Bobcats stunned by St. Monica Catholic
Nov. 17, 2012
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
SANTA MONICA - Things were going from bad to worse for the Boron football team on Friday night during the first half of its CIF-SS Northeast Division quarterfinal game against St. Monica Catholic.
Its starting running back had gotten hurt, the offense could not put a solid drive together, and when it did, it ended up in a frustrating turnover inside the opponent's five-yard line.
The Bobcats were getting impatient. One let out a "this can't be happening." Another one went further and said, "This is ridiculous."
A team that was used to putting up 50-plus points per game couldn't get a single one up for the first two quarters against a St. Monica Catholic team which not many thought even had a chance to make it a competitive battle.
"I did," said Mariners quarterback Luke Cain, whose team did more than making it a game in a stunning 19-16 win over Boron at Santa Monica College.
Outside of those wearing green and supporting the home team on Friday, few could have thought a Boron team which was coming off a 68-0 win against Hamilton last week would fall this early in the playoffs. St. Monica, however, proved worthy.
The Mariners' ground attack was unstoppable all night long, particularly in the second half. While Boron only trailed 3-0 after two quarters, it was running back Kevin Holubowski rushing for 108 of his 141 total yards after halftime that hurt the Bobcats the most. One of those rushes was a 59-yard touchdown one with 8:48 to go in the third quarter to put the Mariners up 9-0 while continuing to astound the 'Cats.
More stunning was the fact that the Mariners (8-4) ran the same sweep for Holubowski time after time, but the Bobcats (10-2) just couldn't limit it to anything below a five-yard gain.
"They got the edge on us early and they continued to do it, continued to do it, continued to do it," said Boron quarterback Austyn Fink, who struggled in his last game as a Bobcat by going 10-of-23 for 138 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions (including one deep in the Mariners' territory). "They didn't do anything different."
Another typical play for St. Monica on the night was the quarterback keeper, which got the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Cain several first downs in short-yardage situations. It also got him a two-yard touchdown to make it 19-8 Mariners with 10:13 to play.
"We had a tough time stopping (the Mariners)," said Boron coach Todd Fink, who coached his last game for the Bobcats. "But I'm extremely proud of my guys."
With their backs against their walls, the Bobcats did respond. Austyn Fink completed three passes on a five-play drive that culminated in a 35-yard touchdown pass to receiver Austin Russell with 4:58 to go. The subsequent two-point conversion was a completion to receiver Drake Job, who had 48 receiving yards for the game, to make it a three-point deficit.
But once the onside kick failed for Boron, St. Monica went back to its sweep/quarterback-keeper combo to run the clock out. The incredulous Bobcats could only watch.
"It isn't rocket science, but it's efficient," Cain said of the play-calling down the stretch.
St. Monica advanced to face Rio Hondo Prep, which beat Desert 47-0. The Bobcats had been hoping for a rematch of last year's semifinals, in which the Kares beat Boron. The Mariners spoiled that, though.
Boron running back D.J. Payne, who played through a first-quarter injury and had 46 yards rushing, couldn't explain the upset.
"It's unexpected. It happens, though," he said. "We came in too big-headed."
Said Austyn Fink: "It's extremely (stunning). I haven't gone a year without playing past Thanksgiving."
ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
SANTA MONICA - Things were going from bad to worse for the Boron football team on Friday night during the first half of its CIF-SS Northeast Division quarterfinal game against St. Monica Catholic.
Its starting running back had gotten hurt, the offense could not put a solid drive together, and when it did, it ended up in a frustrating turnover inside the opponent's five-yard line.
The Bobcats were getting impatient. One let out a "this can't be happening." Another one went further and said, "This is ridiculous."
A team that was used to putting up 50-plus points per game couldn't get a single one up for the first two quarters against a St. Monica Catholic team which not many thought even had a chance to make it a competitive battle.
"I did," said Mariners quarterback Luke Cain, whose team did more than making it a game in a stunning 19-16 win over Boron at Santa Monica College.
Outside of those wearing green and supporting the home team on Friday, few could have thought a Boron team which was coming off a 68-0 win against Hamilton last week would fall this early in the playoffs. St. Monica, however, proved worthy.
The Mariners' ground attack was unstoppable all night long, particularly in the second half. While Boron only trailed 3-0 after two quarters, it was running back Kevin Holubowski rushing for 108 of his 141 total yards after halftime that hurt the Bobcats the most. One of those rushes was a 59-yard touchdown one with 8:48 to go in the third quarter to put the Mariners up 9-0 while continuing to astound the 'Cats.
More stunning was the fact that the Mariners (8-4) ran the same sweep for Holubowski time after time, but the Bobcats (10-2) just couldn't limit it to anything below a five-yard gain.
"They got the edge on us early and they continued to do it, continued to do it, continued to do it," said Boron quarterback Austyn Fink, who struggled in his last game as a Bobcat by going 10-of-23 for 138 yards with no touchdowns and four interceptions (including one deep in the Mariners' territory). "They didn't do anything different."
Another typical play for St. Monica on the night was the quarterback keeper, which got the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Cain several first downs in short-yardage situations. It also got him a two-yard touchdown to make it 19-8 Mariners with 10:13 to play.
"We had a tough time stopping (the Mariners)," said Boron coach Todd Fink, who coached his last game for the Bobcats. "But I'm extremely proud of my guys."
With their backs against their walls, the Bobcats did respond. Austyn Fink completed three passes on a five-play drive that culminated in a 35-yard touchdown pass to receiver Austin Russell with 4:58 to go. The subsequent two-point conversion was a completion to receiver Drake Job, who had 48 receiving yards for the game, to make it a three-point deficit.
But once the onside kick failed for Boron, St. Monica went back to its sweep/quarterback-keeper combo to run the clock out. The incredulous Bobcats could only watch.
"It isn't rocket science, but it's efficient," Cain said of the play-calling down the stretch.
St. Monica advanced to face Rio Hondo Prep, which beat Desert 47-0. The Bobcats had been hoping for a rematch of last year's semifinals, in which the Kares beat Boron. The Mariners spoiled that, though.
Boron running back D.J. Payne, who played through a first-quarter injury and had 46 yards rushing, couldn't explain the upset.
"It's unexpected. It happens, though," he said. "We came in too big-headed."
Said Austyn Fink: "It's extremely (stunning). I haven't gone a year without playing past Thanksgiving."