The Los Osos Grizzlies pulled out a thrilling 27-26 Baseline League victory over the Glendora Tartans on Halloween night at Citrus College. Trailing 26-21 with seconds to play, Los Osos junior quarterback Jason Crain linked up with senior playmaker Durron Burton on a sweet back shoulder throw and catch for the game-winning score.
It was a back and forth slugfest from the outset. Los Osos jumped out to an early 7-0 lead on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by senior Iszaia Cordero.
Los Osos Game-Winning Touchdown
Glendora got on the board with a 29-yard field goal by Caleb Watkins to cut the gap to 7-3. The Tartans took a 10-7 lead on a short touchdown run by Amin Raad early in the second quarter. Watkins added another field goal to extend the Glendora lead to 13-7.
The Tartans defense stepped up with a big fumble recovery deep in Los Osos territory. The Grizzlies D, led by the stellar play of senior defensive end Michael West, stood tall and forced another field goal. West made plays all night, swatting passes, pressuring the quarterback and chasing down ball carriers.
Durron Burton: Post Game Interview
Trailing 16-7, Crain connected on a long touchdown strike to junior receiver Caleb Repp to give the Grizzlies some much needed momentum heading to the second half.
The third quarter was dominated by both defenses. The Los Osos secondary, featuring Vincent Wilkes and Malik Shelton, locked down the Glendora passing game for most of the night. The Tartans did most of their damage on the ground with Raad and Tyrell Evans.
Glendora capitalized on a big interception by Collin Grady inside Los Osos territory with a short touchdown run by Evans to extend the Tartan lead to 23-14 with 11: 05 to play.
Michael West: Post Game Interview
Los Osos stormed back into the contest thanks to a huge 4th down catch by Durron Burton to extend a drive. Shortly thereafter on a seemingly broken play, Crain had the presence of mind to tuck the ball and rush for a clutch touchdown that cut the gap to 23-21 with 6:45 remaining.
Glendora moved the ball down the field but the Los Osos defense held firm and forced another field goal attempt from Watkins that he drilled for his fourth make of the night to give the Tartans a 26-21 lead with 3:06 to go.
A misplay on the kickoff forced Los Osos to start their drive on their own 7-yard line. From there, the Grizzlies playmakers went to work. Crain linked up with Burton and Repp for some big completions to move the ball into Tartan territory. Despite a noticeable limp, Crain manned up and made several nice plays with his feet, scrambling for crucial yardage to set up the winning score.
With the game on the line, Durron Burton asked for the ball and delivered with an incredible back shoulder catch on a perfectly placed throw from Jason Crain to give the Grizzlies the 27-26 victory.
Los Osos improves to 5-4, 2-2 in league play and will host Etiwanda next week in the season finale. Glendora suffers its third straight loss after a 6-0 start and will look to close out the regular season with a victory at Alta Loma next Thursday.
