Carrillo can't convert against Casa

<p>PETALUMA — Maria Carrillo was one play away from writing one of the most dramatic endings in the history of its football program. But Casa Grande stole the ink.</p><p>On a night when they were shut out until late in the third quarter, their quarterback was sacked six times and one of their players left the field in an ambulance (Taylor McBeth was expected to be OK after getting knocked unconscious making a tackle), the 15th-seeded Pumas fought back to throw an epic scare into the No. 2 Gauchos, scoring an unbelievable touchdown with 43 seconds left.</p><p>But Hunter Odom's pass on the 2-point conversion fell incomplete in the end zone, allowing Casa to escape with an 18-17 home victory.</p><p>“We felt like we could get it in,” Carrillo coach Jay Higgins said of his decision to go for two rather than a game-tying extra-point kick. “No guts, no glory.”</p><p>Casa wound up with the glory, not to mention a date in the second round of the North Coast Section Div. II playoffs, next Friday against the winner of the Hayward-Las Lomas game. But the Pumas showed true guts.</p><p>Maria Carrillo (4-7) outgained Casa Grande (10-1) 329-168 and controlled the ball for much of the night. Still, with just over a minute left, the Gauchos took over on downs at their 29-yard line and had only to run a few plays and kill the rest of the clock. Then lightning struck. Safety Mark Miller (who already had turned in one eye-popping play earlier in the quarter, stripping the ball from Makana Garrigan after Garrigan had intercepted Odom's pass) put a hit on Khalil Keys, Casa's star running back, causing a fumble that Anthony Ezirm recovered for the Pumas.</p><p>Given new life with 1:02 on the clock, Carrillo took advantage. Odom dropped back on the next play and found Matt Hewson streaking down the center of the field, hitting him for a stunning 40-yard touchdown play that had the visiting bleachers delirious and the Casa sidelines furious.</p><p>But the Pumas couldn't make the decisive conversion.</p><p>“We practiced that formation this week,” Casa Grande coach Trent Herzog said of the 2-point play. “Our guys were in the perfect spot.”</p><p>Herzog and Higgins have been battling for more than a decade, originally at the JV level when Herzog was coaching defense and Higgins offense. Their teams seemed more evenly matched than their records this season; on Sept. 28, Casa had to battle back from a 10-0 deficit to win 28-10 here.</p><p>This time, Odom completed 26 of 41 passes for 283 yards, and star linebacker Sam Atoe almost single-handedly shut down Keys.</p><p>The Pumas controlled the clock in the first half but had nothing to show for it. The Gauchos scored on Connor Waggoner's 65-yard punt return, then on Waggoner's 3-yard reception from Nick Sherry after Casa took possession at the Carrillo 37-yard line, to build a 12-0 halftime lead.</p><p>Waggoner scored again on a 31-yard pass from Sherry early in the third quarter. The Gauchos didn't score a PAT despite trying three different methods — kicking, running and passing.</p><p>If Carrillo had scored that final 2-point conversion, everyone would be talking about Casa's failed PATs. As it is, they'll be talking about the fairy tale that wasn't.</p><p>You can reach Staff Writer Phil Barber at 521-5263 or phil.barber@pressdemocrat.com.</p>