Shadow Ridge stops late 2-point conversion to seal wild win — PHOTOS
A 2-point conversion stop with seconds left in the game was all Shadow Ridge needed to secure a victory over Simi Valley of California.
In a wild, back-and-forth contest, Shadow Ridge pulled out a 41-40 win despite blowing a lead twice in the second half.
“We found a way to win,” Shadow Ridge coach Travis Foster said. “Last week, it was an ugly game we lost. I would much rather win an ugly game than lose one.”
Entering halftime, Shadow Ridge (1-1) looked like it had Simi Valley figured out, as the Mustangs led 20-7. The defense held Simi Valley to just 83 total yards, and the Mustangs offense possessed the ball for most of the half.
Things changed quickly as Simi Valley tied the game at 20 early in the third quarter. Shadow Ridge gave up a touchdown on the opening kickoff, then allowed a 38-yard passing touchdown on Simi Valley’s next offensive play.
The Mustangs seemed to settle down after the quick scoring burst, as senior Trevin Young broke off a 70-yard rushing touchdown to give Shadow Ridge a 26-20 lead. Of the Mustangs’ 347 rushing yards, Young accounted for 192 with three touchdowns.
Simi Valley (0-3) didn’t seem fazed by the big play, answering with 14 unanswered points on back-to-back drives to take a 34-26 lead in the fourth quarter.
After switching quarterbacks from senior Ula Cox to junior Isaiah Ruiz, Shadow Ridge’s triple-option attack looked like it did in the first half, as Simi Valley struggled to stop the run.
As the Mustangs approached the red zone with five minutes remaining, Ruiz stepped back for his only pass of the night and delivered a 23-yard TD strike to senior Jokai Johnson. Ruiz kept the ball on the 2-point attempt and converted, tying the game at 34-34.
The ensuing kickoff was recovered by Shadow Ridge after a fortunate bounce down the sideline that junior Xavion Cross secured.
Starting in Simi Valley territory, Ruiz led a slow, methodical drive that ended with him scoring on an 11-yard run to give Shadow Ridge its third lead of the game 41-34 with two minutes left.
The Mustangs seemed to have the game locked up when they forced Simi Valley into a fourth-and-22 from its own 5-yard line with a minute and a half remaining. But Simi Valley’s quarterback scrambled for a long first down and promptly drove his team 95 yards for a touchdown with 11 seconds left.
With the game on the line, Simi Valley went for two. Even though the Mustangs defense had struggled in the second half, it stepped up when it mattered most, pressuring the quarterback into an inaccurate throw that sailed out of the back of the end zone.
Shadow Ridge will need to correct its mistakes quickly as it heads on the road next week to face Quartz Hill in Lancaster, California.
“We saw a lot of growth from week one to week two. We go to California next week, so we’re going to be in the same situation as (Simi Valley was) this week,” Foster said.
