Brian King
A deafening silence descended over Shepard Stadium Saturday night after
Valley College took the lead on a fourth quarter interception to snatch a shocking 36-33 comeback win over the stunned Brahmas.
Monarch cornerback Geoff Tisdale waltzed into the end zone when he picked off freshman quarterback Thomas Herringshaw’s ill-advised lateral pass on the Brahma 8-yard line.
“One big mistake changed the game,” said the inconsolable Herringshaw, who was close to tears. “The interception at the goal line put them ahead to stay.”
The evening, which included a renewal of Pierceís Homecoming tradition, started full of hope and promise when defensive lineman Lamarr Waiters, on bended knee, publicly proposed marriage to Danielle Sutherland during pre-game ceremonies for the Pierce sophomores.
The Brahmas looked invincible with a healthy 33-16 lead early in the third quarter but inexplicably, the offensive onslaught sputtered and stalled as the Monarchs, to their credit, clawed their way back into the game.
“Penalties changed the momentum of the game,” said Brahma linebacker Wesley
Anderson. “And once the momentum changed, it was all over.”
Amid the somber mood on the Brahma bench after the game, Coach David Banuelos did not mince words.
“Disappointing outcome,” Banuelos said tersely. “Valley College didn’t beat us; we beat ourselves. Pierce started strong but lost composure with too many penalties and mental errors. That’s why we lost the game.”
On the opening drive of the game, Brahma wide receiver Ramon Perry caught a
5-yard touchdown pass from Herringshaw.
Valley answered with a 28-yard field goal by Christian Guardardo to make it
7-3 with four minutes left in the first quarter.
Perry struck again on a 40-yard pass from Herringshaw and outran the Valley defense for his second touchdown. Greg Fullerton’s point-after kick was blocked.
“They snuck up on us,” said a dejected Perry. “It hurts. We thought we’d won, and it wasn’t over.”
Guardardo converted on a 30-yard field goal to narrow the gap, 13-6, early in the second quarter.
“This is a huge win for Valley,” Monarch coach, Ron Ponciano said. “I’m glad it’s over. We knew Pierce could score anytime they touched the ball.”
Herringshaw’s long completion to Daniel Smith gave the Brahmas a first and goal on the Monarch 5-yard line, and Will German scored on a handoff from goal-line quarterback Roland White. A two-point conversion attempt failed, making the score 19-6.
“We were out-manned,” Ponciano said. “We felt like if we played hard together and with poise, we’d have a good shot.”
The Monarchs kept pecking away and Guardardo closed the gap, 19-9, with another short-range field goal with less than a minute left in the half.
“We’ve blown four 10-point leads this year, and just to be able to come back from a 10-point deficit at half time,” Monarch assistant coach, Don Fellows, said. “The kids deserve a win like this.”
After the break, on a fourth and three on the Valley 13-yard line, Mike Guevara caught Herringshaw’s pass in the end zone to extend the lead 25-9.
“You’ve got to capitalize and go for the throat when you get on top and we didn’t make it happen,” Guevara said. “Turnovers in the red zone and penalties killed us.”
Brendan Doyle struck back on a quarterback sneak for Valley’s first touchdown from the Brahma 6-yard line with more than nine minutes left in the third quarter.
Within minutes, White recovered Herringshaw’s fumble and ran for a 50-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion attempt was good, and the Brahmas were cruising, 33-16.
However, the momentum shifted inexorably to the Monarchs as the Pierce offense ran out of gas and failed to score again.
Doyle’s second quarterback sneak from 9-yards closed the gap for Valley, 33-22, with less than three minutes left in the third quarter.
Valley backup quarterback Cory Jones, scrambling for his life on the Brahma
48-yard line, threw a “Hail Mary” touchdown reception to wide receiver Charles Harris to make it 33-28 with more than nine minutes left in the game.
On the ensuing Valley kickoff, receiver Eddie Hunter’s knee hit the turf after he caught the ball, and Pierce started in a hole on their own 8-yard line.
Almost immediately, disaster struck when Herringshaw tossed his ill-fated interception. The stunned silence in the stadium spoke volumes.