Jeffrey James' interception and 68-yard return with less than two minutes remaining set up an 11-yard touchdown pass from Armando Herrera to CJ Harris with 1:20 remaining as San Bernardino Valley completed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat host Santa Ana 41-38 Saturday night at Santa Ana Stadium.
Santa Ana outscored the Wolverines 21-0 in the third quarter, turning a 27-17 deficit into a 38-27 lead going into the final quarter. But the Wolverines rallied behind Herrera, who came in at quarterback in the second half. Herrera pulled SBVC within five points with a 29-yard pass and run to Kellen Pachot with 10:03 to go in the game. And that's when the defense took over for the Wolverines. The Dons ran 100 plays in the game, gaining 370 yards on the night and holding the ball for 38:34. But the defense's bend-and-not-break work helped set up the final scoring drive.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines used a quick-strike offense throughout the game. SBVC went up 15-0 in the first quarter thanks to two drives that lasted only three plays. On the Wolverines' second drive of the game, starting quarterback Cade Sparks hooked up with Dejuan Moon on a 55-yard pass play. Sparks threw to Elijah Smith for a two-point conversion and an 8-0 lead. On the next San Bernardino Valley drive, Sparks handed off the ball to Jeffrey Proctor at their own 15-yard-line, and Proctor did the rest. He broke through tackles at the line and cut back across the field en route to an 85-yard touchdown run. Dominic Young's kick made it 15-0.
Sparks hooked up twice more in the first half to give the Wolverines a 10-point halftime lead. He hit Elijah Smith for a 17-yard score with seven minutes to go. Then, with time running down in the first half, Sparks took the snap and rolled right. He turned back and tossed the ball back to Proctor, who jogged into the left corner of the end zone for a 16-yard score with 24 seconds remaining.
Meanwhile, the Wolverines' defense was putting pressure on Dons' quarterback Connor Brown and Santa Ana's offense throughout the night. Brown was sacked five times, and SBVC made 12 tackles for losses in the game. Besides making the game-turning interception, James led the Wolverines with eight solo tackles and another seven assisted tackles. Wesley Smith also had eight tackles for San Bernardino.
On the offensive side of the ball, Proctor ended the game with 132 yards rushing on eight carries and two touchdowns (one rushing, one receiving). He also had seven catches for 44 yards. Sparks completed 17 of 36 passes for 205 yards and three scores. Herrera was 7 for 14 to 76 yards and the two fourth-quarter touchdowns.
