Perfection eludes Le Grand in SoCal

CARSON -- Trailing by just one point at halftime, Alex Bucio and his Le Grand teammates could feel a state title within their grasps.

The Bulldogs had gone toe-to-toe with a bigger, faster Sierra Canyon team in the first two quarters. They had a throng of boisterous Le Grand supporters, who made the long journey south for the game, believing.

However, the game turned in a flash in the second half.

A turnover led to a quick Trailblazers touchdown and Le Grand saw its title hopes dissolve as Sierra Canyon pulled away for a 34-13 win in the CIF State Division 4 Championship game on Friday night at the Home Depot Center.

"Momentum changed big time and we couldn't get it back," said Le Grand coach Rick Martinez said. "Turnovers hurt big time. I said the team that doesn't make mistakes would win."

The Bulldogs (12-1) couldn't complain coming out of the locker room in the second half trailing 14-13.

Le Grand got the ball to start the third quarter, but on the first play the Trailblazers' Reggie Prince intercepted Bucio at the Le Grand 26-yard line.

Sierra Canyon cashed in four plays later with a 7-yard touchdown run by Danny Jordan, extending its lead to 21-13 with 10:12 remaining in the quarter.

The Bulldogs' offense never got going in the second half. Penalties and three second-half turnovers thwarted any comeback chance.

"The first play of the second half was supposed to be a 12-yard out for Zach (Moreno)," Bucio said. "I should have checked down to the back. I read the coverage wrong. Turnovers killed us. That was the main thing. That was the one thing we could have minimized."

Le Grand (12-1) came out swinging. The Bulldogs showed no rust, despite not playing since winning the Sac-Joaquin Section Division 5 championship on Nov. 26.

Le Grand answered Sierra Canyon's touchdown when Dustin Slate scored on a 7-yard touchdown run to pull the Bulldogs within 7-6 after a missed extra point.

The Bulldogs went ahead 13-7 after Julian Nava scored on a 5-yard run on their next possession.

"We knew they were a great team," Sierra Canyon quarterback Tyler Stewart said. "Their offense was very good. What do they average … over 50 points? They executed on their plays. We knew we were going to have to answer back."

The Trailblazers (15-0) did late in the second quarter when Xavier Menifield broke free for a 41-yard touchdown run to give Sierra Canyon a 14-13 lead with 4:11 left in the first half.

Sierra Canyon held the Bulldogs to just 100 yards of offense the last three quarters.

"Their defensive line started shifting and covering the gaps more," said Le Grand running back Daniel Guizar, who finished with 70 yards rushing on 14 carries. "They were a lot bigger than us. We kept fighting. Our O-line blocked their butts off."

Menifield found the end zone twice more in the third quarter as the Trailblazers continued to work with a short field after Le Grand turnovers and stalled drives. Menifield finished with 129 rushing yards and three TDs.

Sierra Canyon scored the final 27 points.

"I told our guys they have nothing to be ashamed of," Martinez said. "They've done things this year that haven't been done in the 102 years of our school. I'm proud of these guys."