Colton, CA—That’s what heartbreak feels like.
It was late in the fourth with Colton ahead 42-41 after Koa Regalado threw a touchdown pass to Julian Gonzales with :55 seconds left on the clock. The Yellowjacket defense, after struggling all night to contain Palm Springs seniors Koa Repolla and Jordan Johnson, had the Indians on the ropes. They had Palm Springs on a fourth down with eight yards to go and :20 seconds left in the game.
But instead of a huge play by the Colton defense to put the game to bed, the referees called a game-defining passing interference penalty that put Palm Springs in striking distance of a touchdown. The Indians scored two plays later, leaving :02 on the clock, and Colton unable to punch back one more time.
Final score: Indians 49, Colton 42.
Coach Ray Rodriguez kept a positive outlook on the tough game. “We played a tough Palm Springs team that had us scrapping all game long. There are no moral victories in football but the boys played a good game and we’ll come back stronger from a game like that.”
This loss is Colton’s second of the season, both coming on visitor touchdowns in the final minute of play. But unlike the loss to Eisenhower, in which starting QB Regalado was injured for the second half of the game, Colton played against Palm Springs at full strength.
The offense played well all game, with Regalado throwing for 330 yards and five touchdowns. Kalvin Leon continued his streak of great work on the wing, finishing with 56 yards and three touchdowns despite being double-teamed most of the night. Isaiah Garcia, starting the game at running back, had both a rushing and receiving touchdown.
The Yellowjackets issue was defense. They gave up scores on seven of Palm Springs’ nine possessions. They played their best in the first half, in which they got a huge stop near the end of the first quarter, and an interception by Jordan Chairez in the second. This had Colton up at the half 21-13.
But Palm Springs came back in the second half with a vengeance, scoring on every possession, and stopping Colton just enough to get the lead. Colton turned the ball over early in the third quarter, which allowed Palm Springs to get a foothold.
With the loss, Colton is now 2-2 on the season. They have another short week ahead of them, traveling to Arlington High on Thursday night to face the Lions. Game time is 7:30 p.m.
San Andreas League Notes
Rim of the World (3-0) def. Antelope Valley (0-3), 21-7: Senior running back Tatum Ortiz runs for 167 yards and two touchdowns in the Flying Scots third victory of the season over the Antelopes.
Claremont (4-0) def. Kaiser (1-3), 37-0: The Cats get shutout by the Claremont Wolfpack, who did most of their damage in a 30 point first half outburst.
Redlands (2-2) def. San Gorgonio (0-3), 35-14. The Terriers got a strong performance from their senior quarterback, Anthony Fraire, who threw for 272 yards and two touchdowns in the win over the Spartans.
