2014 CIF State Bowl Game, Division II: Redlands East Valley escapes Clayton Valley Charter

CARSON, Calif. -- Each team in the Division II CIF State Championship Bowl Game accomplished what it wanted to Saturday in terms of dictating the flow of the game. Clayton Valley Charter (Concord, Calif.) continually pounded the ball on the ground with workhorse Miles Harrison and Redlands East Valley (Calif.) consistently got its speedy receivers in space to use their speed.

One wasn't going to be able to get what it wanted in terms of the victory. That unfortunate team was Clayton Valley, which lost 34-33 at the StubHub Center.

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The story of the well-played game full of mutual admiration came down to an unconverted extra point and a backbreaking fumble in the red zone for the Ugly Eagles. It left many a Clayton Valley player in tears with a stunned look afterwards, but it also featured an organic display of appreciation and respect after the final whistle, with nearly every player from each team gathering in a massive prayer circle afterwards.

"Throughout the whole game, they weren’t like other teams being cocky and talking mess and whatnot. They respected us, we respected them and we all played ball, that was it," said Malik Lovette, an Oregon commit who led the Wildcats with nine catches and 154 yards and a touchdown, plus 35 rushing yards and two more scores.

"We respect each other a lot. We both played our hardest," added Harrison, who set a Bowl Games record with 50 carries and finished No. 2 on the rushing yardage list with 323.

Nobody ever led by more than seven points in the contest, a back-and-forth affair with contrasting styles. Those two aforementioned mistakes proved huge for Clayton Valley in the end.

After Harrison wowed the crowd with a 41-yard touchdown run with 3:23 left in the third quarter, Clayton Valley saw Daniel Ferrell's point-after try clang off the upright, keeping REV in the lead at 28-27. That missed extra point lost a bit of significance after REV's Khris Vaughn caught a 19-yard score from sophomore Armando Herrera with 1:08 left in the third and Mason Biggerstaff missed the PAT to make it 34-27.

Then came the backbreakers. Clayton Valley got a 17-yard scoring run from quarterback Nate Keisel with 7:39 left in the game and all that the Ugly Eagles needed was the extra point to tie it up. It didn't happen, though. Jaelan Phillips blocked the kick and preserved his team's 34-33 advantage.

The Ugly Eagles immediately got a gift when the ensuing kickoff was fumbled back to them and they went to work with Harrison, as he ran six times in a row for 25 yards. It almost looked like it was going to be the backbreaker for REV. Then tragedy happened for Clayton Valley, starting at the 3-yard line.

Keisel and Harrison didn't hit their timing right on a read-option play in the backfield, and the ball slipped away from their grasps and onto the ground. Phillips was in the right place at the right time (again) and grabbed possession back for his team at the 8-yard line.

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"I think it was one of those bad exchanges. He was trying to carry out his fake in the option and he pulled a little too much but it slipped out. The ball was supposed to go to me and he said it slipped off," said Harrison, who netted three rushing scores and also caught his only pass for a jaw-dropping 40-yard touchdown.

"(Harrison) was really tired at the end and couldn’t quite hang on to the ball. I don’t know what happened," said Ugly Eagles coach Tim Murphy. "We had four downs to (score) and I thought we rested a little bit. (Harrison) nodded his head and I thought we were good to go. A little exchange problem at the end is a tough one to swallow."

The Wildcats had the ball with 4:14 left with one goal in mind: Grind out the clock and win the game, not always an easy task for an offense that gets the bulk of its yardage through the air. Yet they were able to convert two first downs using strictly run plays and then on a third-and-15 from their own 43, the Wildcats got the big play that shut down any chance of Clayton Valley winning the game.

Herrera checked out of a certain pass play and instead hit Lovette for a 27-yard connection up the seam on a different one.

"It was cover 3 and when the corner came up, I knew the seams would be open. I had Malik or Khris (Vaughn), and I just read the safety. He went to Khris so I knew Malik would be there," said Herrera, who missed some section playoff games with an injury and finished Saturday 22-for-38 with 290 yards and two scores.

All it took from there was a couple kneeldowns and the Wildcats had a state title.

"We were jittery and dropped a lot of balls, which we never do. Malik dropped more balls than he dropped all season but he also made a lot of plays," said Wildcats coach Kurt Bruich. "It’s a big atmosphere here but the goalposts are the same height and the field is the same width."

He lauded his players' effort, yet also took the time to talk about Murphy, whom he coached against in the past. And Murphy talked about the Wildcats and their great play.

And Murphy also gave just as much praise to his own squad.

"They're great kids and hard workers and they fought. In the end that's all you can really ask. If they had given up at any point that would be a different story."

Notes: Redlands East Valley went for it on fourth down seven times and converted on six of those occasions ... Clayton Valley Charter threw the ball just four times ... It was a 21-all tie at halftime ... Taimon Faimalo scored a rushing touchdown for REV.