HS Football: Palmdale finds way to stun Eastside, keep streak alive
By ALONSO TACANGA/Valley Press
Oct. 2, 2015
LANCASTER - Somehow, someway, Eastside managed to keep its head up following Friday night's 26-25 soul-crushing defeat at the hands of nemesis Palmdale.
The way the Lions, who blew a 19-0 lead, were able to keep their composure was perplexing. The same could be said about the way the Falcons pulled off their 27th consecutive Golden League victory.
"I think it's the will to win, it's embedded in them," Palmdale head coach Jeff Williams said. "They found a way to win."
Down 25-13 after Eastside quarterback Jordan Acosta connected with Tyrik Wilson for a 78-yard touchdown pass with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, it looked as if Palmdale (5-0, 2-0 GL) would suffer its first-ever loss to the Lions (3-2, 1-1).
But with two touchdowns inside the three-minute mark, the Falcons added a ninth win to their record against stunned Eastside.
"I didn't want to lose that streak," Palmdale quarterback Nathaniel Myles said.
It sure looked that way. After getting stopped by the Lions' defense for most of the night, Myles came through with a 46-yard pass to Christion Johnson to set the Falcons up at Eastside's 1-yard line. Jordan Bowden punched the football in from there to cut the Lions' lead to 25-19 with 2:42 to go.
Then, after Eastside only needed a first down to win the game, Myles got another chance to be the hero after a fake punt from inside Eastside territory failed and the Falcons got the ball at Lions' 35-yard line with 1:35 to go.
"I don't know why our guy decided to run a fake punt," Eastside head coach Richard Lear said. "We didn't call that."
Myles moved the ball all the way to the Lions' 2-yard line. As the final seconds ticked down, the quarterback kept the football and ran to his left, extending his arm across the end zone pylon with three seconds to go to tie the game.
"I just had to put my head down and dive in and hope for the best," Myles said.
A kick from Javier Garcia finally put Palmdale ahead for the first time in the night. And they'd hold on.
"It wasn't pretty, but we'll take the victory," Williams said.
The scene sure wasn't pretty on the Eastside sidelines, but the Lions managed to keep their heads up and salute the packed stands.
"I told them it hurts, but there's two ways they can go," Lear said. "They can hang their heads and feel sorry for themselves or they now know that we can hang with any team in league."
More than hang indeed. The way Palmdale got away with this one could be haunting.
"We found a way to lose this one," Lear said.
Myles passed for 150 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 60 yards and a score. Bowden rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
For Eastside, Niamke Guilford rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns, all of them in the first half.
His first was a 9-yard rush at the start of the second quarter and his second came briefly after from 10 yards out after an interception from Wilson set the Lions up with first-and-10 at the Palmdale 11.
Leading 13-0, Guilford fumbled at his own 45, but Eastside's defense picked off Myles again to get the offense in the Palmdale red zone.
Scott Arnold took the interception all the way to the Falcons 8-yard line. Two plays later, Guilford was punching the football into the end zone from two yards out for an unthinkable 19-0 lead at halftime.
It would be all for naught.
"We fought as a brotherhood," Myles said. "We overcame adversity."
Oct. 2, 2015
LANCASTER - Somehow, someway, Eastside managed to keep its head up following Friday night's 26-25 soul-crushing defeat at the hands of nemesis Palmdale.
The way the Lions, who blew a 19-0 lead, were able to keep their composure was perplexing. The same could be said about the way the Falcons pulled off their 27th consecutive Golden League victory.
"I think it's the will to win, it's embedded in them," Palmdale head coach Jeff Williams said. "They found a way to win."
Down 25-13 after Eastside quarterback Jordan Acosta connected with Tyrik Wilson for a 78-yard touchdown pass with five minutes left in the fourth quarter, it looked as if Palmdale (5-0, 2-0 GL) would suffer its first-ever loss to the Lions (3-2, 1-1).
But with two touchdowns inside the three-minute mark, the Falcons added a ninth win to their record against stunned Eastside.
"I didn't want to lose that streak," Palmdale quarterback Nathaniel Myles said.
It sure looked that way. After getting stopped by the Lions' defense for most of the night, Myles came through with a 46-yard pass to Christion Johnson to set the Falcons up at Eastside's 1-yard line. Jordan Bowden punched the football in from there to cut the Lions' lead to 25-19 with 2:42 to go.
Then, after Eastside only needed a first down to win the game, Myles got another chance to be the hero after a fake punt from inside Eastside territory failed and the Falcons got the ball at Lions' 35-yard line with 1:35 to go.
"I don't know why our guy decided to run a fake punt," Eastside head coach Richard Lear said. "We didn't call that."
Myles moved the ball all the way to the Lions' 2-yard line. As the final seconds ticked down, the quarterback kept the football and ran to his left, extending his arm across the end zone pylon with three seconds to go to tie the game.
"I just had to put my head down and dive in and hope for the best," Myles said.
A kick from Javier Garcia finally put Palmdale ahead for the first time in the night. And they'd hold on.
"It wasn't pretty, but we'll take the victory," Williams said.
The scene sure wasn't pretty on the Eastside sidelines, but the Lions managed to keep their heads up and salute the packed stands.
"I told them it hurts, but there's two ways they can go," Lear said. "They can hang their heads and feel sorry for themselves or they now know that we can hang with any team in league."
More than hang indeed. The way Palmdale got away with this one could be haunting.
"We found a way to lose this one," Lear said.
Myles passed for 150 yards and a touchdown and rushed for 60 yards and a score. Bowden rushed for 74 yards and two touchdowns.
For Eastside, Niamke Guilford rushed for 80 yards and three touchdowns, all of them in the first half.
His first was a 9-yard rush at the start of the second quarter and his second came briefly after from 10 yards out after an interception from Wilson set the Lions up with first-and-10 at the Palmdale 11.
Leading 13-0, Guilford fumbled at his own 45, but Eastside's defense picked off Myles again to get the offense in the Palmdale red zone.
Scott Arnold took the interception all the way to the Falcons 8-yard line. Two plays later, Guilford was punching the football into the end zone from two yards out for an unthinkable 19-0 lead at halftime.
It would be all for naught.
"We fought as a brotherhood," Myles said. "We overcame adversity."