A MUDDY CLASSIC; TAFT SPLASHES ITS WAY BACK TO CITY SECTION TITLE GAME : TAFT 8 SYLMAR 6.Byline: Gary Washburn Daily News Staff Writer It was a classic in its own right, despite the elements. This Taft-Sylmar game will go down in area history as one of the most hotly hot·ly adv. In an intense or fiery way: a hotly contested will. Adv. 1. hotly - in a heated manner; "`To say I am behind the strike is so much nonsense,' declared Mr Harvey heatedly"; "the contested and mistake-filled games of recent memory. And it took one play, a special teams play, to make the difference. Decide what you want about the outcome, but it might not be a fluke fluke, parasitic flatworm of the trematoda class, related to the tapeworm. Instead of the cilia, external sense organs, and epidermis of the free-living flatworms, adult flukes have sucking disks with which they cling to their hosts and an external cuticle that that Taft made the play when it counted. K.C. Bounds' pass to Sedric Hurns in the end zone for a two-point conversion In American football and Canadian football, a team may try to score a two-point conversion (score two points) instead of an extra point (one point) immediately after it scores a touchdown. in the first quarter made the difference Friday in a mud-dominated 8-6 win over Sylmar in the City Section semifinals at Taft. The Toreadors (12-0) will return to the Coliseum Coliseum: see Colosseum. for the City Section 4-A championship rematch REMATCH Cardiology Clinical trials–Randomized Evaluation of Mechanical Assistance Therapy as an alternative in Congestive Heart failure–related to use of a portable, electric left ventricular-assist system–LVAS–eg, HeartMate® with San Pedro, 12-6 double-overtime winner against Westchester. Taft lost to San Pedro in the last year's City championship 22-20. ``It feels great to go back,'' Taft coach Troy Starr said. ``It was a great game. Regardless of the weather, it would have went down to the last play.'' Taft scored on its second drive, a 47-yard run by Hurns to take a 6-0 lead six minutes into the game. After the two-point play, all the pressure was on Sylmar. The Spartans responded with six minutes left in the second quarter. An Angel Guerrero 5-yard run made it 8-6. But quarterback Noah Albiston fumbled the snap on the attempted two-point play and was tackled. From then on it was a battle of field position and will. There were no more big offensive plays. No long drives. Nothing but struggles in the trenches. Taft tried to kill the clock, Sylmar needed one more score. Thanks to Hurns, Sylmar never got the chance. He rushed for 65 yards in the second half which proved mammoth mammoth, name for several large prehistoric elephants of the extinct genus Mammuthus, which ranged over Eurasia and North America in the Pleistocene epoch. in a game with such little offense. Taft drove to the Sylmar 15 late in the fourth quarter and surrendered the ball on downs with 4:55 left. Sylmar needed one big play. It couldn't muster TO MUSTER, mar. law. By this term is understood to collect together and exhibit soldiers and their arms; it also signifies to employ recruits and put their names down in a book to enroll them. anything in the pouring rain. Sylmar quarterback Joey LaPorte, who platooned with Albiston, threw a Hail Mary pass A Hail Mary pass or Hail Mary play in American football is a forward pass made in desperation, with only a very small chance of success. The typical Hail Mary is a very long forward heave thrown at or near the end of a half where there is no realistic possibility for any in the middle of the field that landed incomplete as six players dived for ball in deep mud. Taft rooters ran on the field in celebration. Sylmar, which brought an estimated 2,000 fans, wondered, ``What if?'' ``They made one play and we didn't,'' Sylmar coach Jeff Engilman said. ``It was a great game. But it was a shame it couldn't be played without the rain. It took away from both teams. We lost, but I'm proud of my team. We played them even.'' Even except for that one play and the running of Hurns, who was the only player on the field comfortable in these horrible conditions. He washed up after the game, wiping mud from his ears. ``Everybody was having fun,'' said Hurns, who finished with 117 yards on 13 carries. ``I really didn't think about the mud. I just kept running until we got where we wanted to go. But it's not over. I'm not satisfied with this.'' In the postgame handshake handshake - handshaking , Starr and Engilman embraced while Sylmar players were wishing Taft players luck. ``They represent the Valley,'' Engilman said. ``We wish them well. But we played a hell of a game and I'm proud.'' The question is whether that pride will encourage Engilman to return next season. ``I don't know Don't know (DK, DKed) "Don't know the trade." A Street expression used whenever one party lacks knowledge of a trade or receives conflicting instructions from the other party. that now,'' Engilman said. ``Don't put words in my mouth. You know me, I have to keep you guys guessing.'' Starr was totally exhausted. His offense has made the big plays all season, and his defense, which limited Sylmar's Errol Bowen and Donald Carpenter to 83 combined yards, continues to dominate. ``This is one of my big wins,'' Starr said. ``I have nothing but respect for Jeff Engilman. I think he's a great coach. I expected a game like this and we got one that went down to the last play.'' CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1--Color) Sylmar's George Wrightster (84) plants Taft running back Marques Marques may refer to:
(2) Errol Bowen is tackled by Taft's Lawrence Wallace (8) after a short run as Sylmar's offense sputtered. Gene Blevins/Special to the Daily News |
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