GRACE BRETHREN FINISHES FAST GRACE BRETHREN 28, OAK PARK 19.Byline: Erik Boal Special to the Daily News After playing 15 quarters on Oak Park's field with little success, Grace Brethren of Simi Valley's football team put together one of its best 12-minute stretches of the season when it mattered most. The Lancers lanc·er n. 1. A cavalryman armed with a lance. 2. A member of a regiment originally armed with lances. 3. lancers (used with a sing. verb) a. A kind of quadrille. b. , who had suffered regular-season setbacks the past two years to Oak Park and a Southern Section playoff play·off also play-off n. Sports 1. A final game or series of games played to break a tie. 2. A series of games played to determine a championship. Noun 1. loss to Pasadena Poly in 2003 on the same field, erased e·rase tr.v. e·rased, e·ras·ing, e·ras·es 1. a. To remove (something written, for example) by rubbing, wiping, or scraping. b. any past disappointment with a dominant fourth-quarter effort Friday night. Behind an inspired defensive effort, highlighted by Bryan Simeri's fumble recovery in the end zone, and a touchdown run and pass from quarterback Travis Chupp, third-seeded Grace Brethren rallied to score the game's final 21 points in a 28-19 victory against the Eagles in the Div. XI quarterfinals. ``For 11 quarters (against Oak Park) we've had no breaks on this field, and I told Ricky (Elmore) before the start of the fourth quarter that it's going to happen,'' said Grace Brethren coach Terry Gourley, whose team advanced to the semifinals for the fifth consecutive year, doing so in four different divisions. ``Something finally had to go our way.'' After nothing seemed to go right in the first half, the Lancers (10-2) - who will play San Jacinto San Jacinto, river, c.130 mi (210 km) long, rising in SE Texas as the West Fork and flowing S to Galveston Bay. Its chief tributary is Buffalo Bayou, and both the bayou and the lower river are used for the Houston ship channel. in the semifinals - saw all the momentum swing in their favor at the most opportune op·por·tune adj. 1. Suited or right for a particular purpose: an opportune place to make camp. 2. Occurring at a fitting or advantageous time: an opportune arrival. time. Chris McCabe caught a tipped pass from Chupp on a fourth-and-3 play for a 5-yard touchdown, cutting the deficit to 19-14. Then, on Oak Park's ensuing en·sue intr.v. en·sued, en·su·ing, en·sues 1. To follow as a consequence or result. See Synonyms at follow. 2. To take place subsequently. drive, Elmore knocked the wind out of quarterback Doug Deakin on a first-down pass play, forcing him to the sidelines Sidelines Hypothetical position referring to noninvolvement in a stock; merely watching. . It proved to be an even bigger loss for Oak Park (7-4) - a division finalist the past two years - after the option pitch from reserve quarterback Chad Costello was mishandled by Matt Alexander (110 rushing yards, two touchdowns) on the next play, resulting in Simeri falling on the ball in the end zone for the go-ahead score with 9:17 remaining. ``I just saw it sitting there,'' said Simeri, who contributed to a fourth-quarter defensive effort that saw the Lancers limit Oak Park to minus-2 yards on 15 plays. ``We were pretty down, but we never gave up and we stepped it up when we had to. This is just unbelievable. You can't explain it.'' Chupp scored an insurance touchdown with 1:19 left on a 1-yard plunge over center. But it was the 99-yard drive that he orchestrated or·ches·trate tr.v. or·ches·trat·ed, or·ches·trat·ing, or·ches·trates 1. To compose or arrange (music) for performance by an orchestra. 2. in the second quarter that might have been the most important of Grace Brethren's season. ``At halftime, coach (Gourley) told us if we wanted to win, it was up to us and finally that's what we did,'' said Chupp, who ran for 89 yards and passed for 68. ''This is the best feeling I've experienced besides winning the (Div. XII) championship (last year).'' Erik Boal, (818) 713-3607 erik.boal(at)dailynews.com |
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