CERRITOS, Calif. --- After a loss to St. Francis-Mountain View in last year’s CIF 2-A state championship, Grace Brethren got a second chance at the crown. And while it lost many of its best players over the offseason, this time there would be no sad bus ride home.
Running back Seven McGee was one of those players. The sophomore found a new home in Rochester, New York and committed to Oregon. With that huge absence, Lontrelle Diggs stepped up to the occasion, and had a three touchdown game in the Lancers' 21-14 win over Del Oro, where they were crowned 2018 CIF 2-AA champions.
Diggs had been held to limited play with an injury in prior weeks, but his performance on Friday night was strong, rushing for 188 yards in addition to his three touchdowns.
“I had some very great people behind get me treatment and prepared for the game,” said Diggs.
Diggs' third touchdown was set up by a fake field goal pass by Joshua Henderson, son of Grace Brethren coach Josh Henderson, a gutsy call that ended up being part of the game winning drive.
“We worked on that play with each team I coached, and its come through at times,” said the elder Henderson. “We have some other fakes but this was the best one in the scenario. It wasn’t a pretty play, but probably the biggest.”
Tinker Kai’s early interception set up the first blood, as the Lancers went on for a nine-play, 49-yard drive that ended in Diggs’ first touchdown of the night, and a 7-0 lead with 5:54 remaining in the first quarter. Grace Brethren threatened to score again before halftime, but Del Oro's Matt Smart came up with a big interception deep in Golden Eagles' territory to keep the scoring to a minimum. That would be the score up until the third quarter, when Del Oro quarterback Carson Jarratt connected with Dawson Hurst for a long 46-yard touchdown, briefly tying the game at seven.
But on the following drive Grace Brethren went back ahead with another Diggs’ rushing touchdown, though the PAT was blocked, making it 13-7 with 1:35 left in the third quarter. Late in the fourth quarter, the Lancers tacked on the eventual game winning touchdown by Diggs, making the score 21-7 with 2:03 left.
Even when the game seemed out of reach, Del Oro was not going down without a fight, as in just three plays the Golden Eagles were within a touchdown to tie it up, after Jarratt connected with Josh Moore to cap a 60-yard drive and make the score 21-14. It came down to the onside kick, but it was kicked out of bounds, putting the nail in the coffin.
For Del Oro head coach Jeff Walters, despite the title game loss, he was able to get to his alma mater to a state championship appearance in just his second year at the helm. Previously, the Loomis native led Liberty-Brentwood to its first playoff victory in school history.
“A lot can be said about coaches but the kids are the ones make plays, and that's who I do it for," Walters said. "It's phenomenal to be here in this moment, to be sharing the experience with these kids.”
