Bellarmine’s unlikely bid to win first CIF crown ends in stunning fashion
SAN JOSE – A Bellarmine College Prep football team that appeared to be sailing towards its first state title Saturday night was instead overwhelmed by Laguna Hills during a stunning second half.
Bellarmine led Laguna Hills by 20 points after two quarters but allowed three straight touchdowns in the final 24 minutes, including one midway through the fourth quarter in what became a 28-27 loss to the Hawks in the CIF 3-A state championship game at San Jose City College.
With Bellarmine leading 27-21, senior running back Troy Leigber, on 4th-and-2, took a handoff from quarterback Kaden Austin, got past the line of scrimmage, and darted up the middle for a 62-yard touchdown to tie the game with 7:00 remaining.
An extra point by kicker Luke Whitfield put Laguna Hills (15-1) ahead to stay, as Bellarmine (8-7) failed to advance the ball past midfield on any of its ensuing three drives to end its turnaround season on a bittersweet note.
“They just started making plays and we just didn’t respond,” Bells running back Ben Pfaff said. “We started off strong and felt good going into the half, but they came out firing.”
Bellarmine had 265 yards of offense in the first half as it roared out to a 27-7 lead with under three minutes to go in the second quarter.
Quarterback Nate Escalada ran for two touchdowns, including one on a 47-yard keeper that gave the Bells a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. Escalada also threw for two TDs, including a 40-yard strike to fellow senior Pfaff shortly before halftime.
But Laguna Hills started to control the line of scrimmage in the second half.
Leigber, listed at 6-foot and 200 pounds, was a load to bring down all game and finished with 124 yards on 24 carries. The Hawks also stiffened up on defense, bringing some extra pressure from its 4-4 alignment to take away time from Escalada and snuff out any big plays.
The Bells had just 50 yards of net offense in the second half as they allowed four sacks.
“They made incredible adjustments,” Bellarmine coach Jalal Beauchman said of the Hawks. “They started bringing pressure and we were struggling to pick it up and get the ball out of our hands.”
Bellarmine’s journey to a state final was unexpected at best. The Bells lost four straight games in October, including a 31-10 loss to St. Francis on Oct. 29 which dropped their record to 3-6 record.
But the Bells were able to get healthy again and turn their season around, as they went on to capture a Central Coast Section Division II championship and a NorCal regional 3-A title with a 35-21 win over Vanden-Fairfield last week.
“We started the season 0-2, we had a lot of injuries, I was sick missing practices. (Pfaff) had a high ankle sprain, one of our receivers had two concussions over the course of the season,” Escalada said.
“A lot of just really down moments, everyone was kind of doubting us. We had a 3-6 record and no one expected us to go on this type of run. But we talked amongst our team and said that no matter what happens, this is our last ride. So we had faith in each other the whole way through. And I think that showed tonight.”
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