Support our high school sports coverage by becoming a digital subscriber. Subscribe now.
CALABASAS — The Calabasas football team struggled o get anything going on offense in the first half of its CIF-SS Division 6 playoff opener against visiting La Habra on Friday night.
So the Coyotes looked to their defense to provide a spark, and that unit responded by igniting an impressive 44-32 comeback win over the Highlanders. With the win, Calabasas advances to face Ramona in a second-round game next week.
After quickly falling behind 14-0 in the first quarter, the Coyotes found themselves threatening to score thanks to a 52-yard kickoff return by junior Jerry McGee. The offense stalled on fourth down, giving the ball back to La Habra at its own 15-yard line.
On the first play after the change of possession, senior lineman Domata Peko Jr. ripped through the offensive line and tackled the ball carrier for a 5-yard loss. One play later, the senior forced an intentional grounding penalty in the end zone, resulting in a safety to get the Coyotes on the scoreboard.
“The coaches told us that one of us had to make a play,” Peko said. “One of us had to step up. That was the biggest possible momentum swing we could’ve had. We didn’t really come out like we wanted to but once we got the safety we felt a little bit more like ourselves.”
Peko led the team in tackles and racked up six tackles for losses in the win.
“He’s been playing varsity since his freshman year and he’s a three-year starter,” Calabasas coach Cary Harris said. “He’s one of our leaders. Utility Player of the Year for the Marmonte League. Just did a great job leading us all night long.”
After La Habra kicked off to Calabasas following the safety, senior running back King Miller took a handoff, bounced off tackle and ran 57 yards for a touchdown that cut the deficit to 14-9.
“King has been here since freshman year,” Peko said. “He’s been working his butt off from the first play til now. He’s the hardest worker in the locker room. He has the best work ethic I’ve ever seen.”
Miller finished with 216 yards on 21 carries and had three touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the victory. He sealed the game with less than a minute left when he ripped off a 42-yard touchdown to cap his impressive performance.
“It was huge,” Harris said. “King’s been leading us since last year when we didn’t even have a quarterback. Teams would stack the box and know we were running, and he still ran for 1,400 yards. We know we can count on him and depend on him.”
La Habra tacked on a rushing touchdown from Grey Greir just before halftime, capitalizing on starting a possession on Calabasas’ side of the field for the third time in the half. Four of La Habra’s five touchdowns in the game came on drives that started in Calabasas territory.
The Calabasas offense finally clicked on the second drive of the second half. After Miller ripped off a 20-yard run on first down, Alonzo Contreras completed passes of 28 and 15 yards before a Coyote penalty threatened to slow the drive.
Contreras, a junior, used his feet to keep a play alive before connecting with classmate Aaron Butler on a perfectly executed 49-yard touchdown pass that saw Aaron Butler, a USC commit, toe tap just inside the pylon for the score.
Contreras later threw another touchdown score to Butler – a fourth-quarter strike that put Calabasas ahead for good.
Calabasas got a pair of interceptions to help seal the win. Luke Peffer had the first, and McGee had the second, which he returned more than 60 yards for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter. The touchdown was the first time Calabasas led in the contest.
The lead was short-lived as La Habra quarterback Justin Gil scrambled to keep a broken play alive on first down. After breaking a tackle, he took off upfield, going 65 yards on the ground to put the Highlanders back in front and set the stage for Butler’s game-winning touchdown.
Gil also threw a pair of touchdown passes to Jacob Apodaca and one to Marcus Works in the loss.