MODESTO -- After 108 points, nearly 1,100 yards offense and 12 TD passes, Downey linebacker John Kreifels produced one of the few defensive plays at the right time.
He chased after University of Arizona-bound quarterback Nate Sudfeld at the Downey 16, bringing him down and ending the Crusaders' bid for an upset.
"I'm looking for a sack at that time, because I know he's looking for someone downfield," the 5-foot-9, 190-pounder said.
His sack allowed the Knights to escape with a 58-50 win over the outmanned Crusaders, who had just 21 players suiting up.
One of those, though, was the 6-5, 215-pound Sudfeld, a stout senior with a verbal commitment to University of Arizona.
He entertained the crowd by hitting 22 of 29 for 342 yards and a career-high six TD passes. He threw four TDs to Kaden Cline, a star at Beyer as a sophomore.
On the other side of the field, however, was one of the Stanislaus District's young guns in Aaron Zwahlen. He threw seven TDs in the first half a week ago, and threw six on Friday.
The 6-2 junior was 32 of 44 for 464 yards and no interceptions — giving him 15 TD tosses and three interceptions for the 3-1 Knights. He threw 10 TDs and eight interceptions a year ago.
He had a connection with Conner Purnell, who had 13 catches for 221 yards and four scores.
Zwahlen's 9-yard TD pass to Caleb Lowe, and Purnell's PAT kick, gave Downey a 58-50 lead with 5 minutes to play.
Sudfeld drove MC to the Downey 6, but a run went nowhere and tight coverage forced him to throw away two balls. He rolled left on fourth-and-goal at the 11, but saw no open receivers. Kreifels brought him down before Sudfeld could find a third option.
One of the few errors in judgment made by Sudfeld came on the first play of the fourth quarter, as he scrambled left and tried to fling it across the field — 50 yards in the air and with not enough behind it. Russell Mitchell intercepted it, but Downey's following drive ended at the MC 10 — leaving it 51-50 with 9:30 remaining.
The only score the rest of the way was Lowe's TD.
Sudfeld threw three of his first-half TDs on fade routes to the corner, dropping a pass just over the arms of the cornerback and into his receiver's hands — just as the receiver tumbled out of bounds. The last of his first-half TDs was a 16-yarder that Cline got with one hand on the final play of the half. It was the fourth TD of the period for Sudfeld.
Cline's third TD of the half and Josh Hicks' kick gave MC a 36-35 halftime lead. MC went 61 yards in five plays in 34 seconds.
While Sudfeld targeted the sidelines and the corners, Zwahlen was doing his damage in the middle.
The 6-2 junior was hitting receivers in front of the defenders, with Purnell, Caleb Lowe (4 catches, 99 yards, two TDs) and Blake Lopes then turning upfield for yardage.
Each team had one running play that worked, MC regularly sending Javaughn Iverson (23 carries, 149 yards, TD) off-tackle and and Downey's Juan Vaa-Ayala (21 carries, 91 yards, TD) on draw plays.
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