Leigh earned its second victory of the season with a riveting 27-21 triumph against Mount Pleasant Friday night. The host Longhorns improved to 2-4 (1-2 in BVAL Santa Teresa Division), while the Cardinals dropped to 1-5 (0-3).
With one minute, 38 seconds left in the game, Mt. Pleasant scored a touchdown on a 10-yard pass from Osmar Veronica to Elvis Morfin to take a 21-19 lead. Following the ensuing kickoff, Leigh junior quarterback Spencer Barnes went to work.
“Last year I was in a similar situation against Westmont," Barnes said. "We needed to do the same thing -- drive down the field to win. So I knew I just had to keep calm and move the football."
Barnes took over after the first drive when starting QB Gabe Davis was moved to receiver. He rose to the occasion and put together a quick, six-play drive to put Leigh within scoring range. Leigh took the lead 25-21 with a two-yard sweep to the right side by running back Lavon Donald. Barnes then hit Davis for the two-point conversion to make it 27-21.
Mt. Pleasant fought hard throughout, drawing from the energy of team leader and class president Dontorie Reeves, who plays wide receiver. For much of the first half, the Cardinal defense was able to prevent Leigh from reaching the end zone, and the offense saw a great deal of success running the ball against the undersized Leigh defense. Josh Mesina led the Cardinals with 233 yards rushing and two touchdowns.
Playing his first game at wide receiver, Davis had a big game for the Longhorns, catching 10 passes for 138 yards and two TDs and running for another score. But Leigh needed a defensive boost to close out the victory.
Senior linebacker Mario Morales entered the game for the first time all season and gave Leigh a lift with 17 tackles. He flew to the ball, seeming to be in on almost every tackle, and the entire defense rallied around his play.
“As soon as coach said I was going in, I knew I had to step it up," Morales said. "We needed some change, some determination, and some motivation to get the win.
Once the Leigh defense began to hold its ground, the offense started to find its way into the end zone.
Missed opportunities plagued both teams. On offense, both teams had their share of overthrown passes -- balls that fluttered just out of reach of receivers’ who had completely beaten coverage.
On defense, Leigh missed several opportunities to change the game, as Mt. Pleasant was sloppy with the football, fumbling four times. All four fumbles were recovered by Mt. Pleasant, though.
Both teams continue BVAL-ST play next Friday night as Leigh hosts Branham and Mt. Pleasant travels to Gunderson.
