Sierra Canyon football holds on to beat Bishop Amat, advances to championship
The Sierra Canyon football team came into Kiefer Stadium and took care of business, knocking off Bishop Amat, 29-23, to advance to next week’s CIF Southern Section Division 2 championship against either Inglewood or Chaminade.
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Jae’on Young #5 of Sierra Canyon knocks away a pass intended for Julian Borrayo #11 in the fourth quarter of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the second half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Sierra Canyon’s Dane Dunn runs with the ball against Bishop Amat in a prep Division 2 semifinal football game on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
of Bishop Amat of Sierra Canyon in the first half of a prep Division 2 semifinal football game at Bishop Amat Memorial High School in La Puente on Friday, November 18, 2022. (Photo by Keith Birmingham, Pasadena Star-News/ SCNG)
Sierra Canyon silenced an Amat offense that had scored a combined 134 points over its first two playoff victories, and took command scoring three unanswered touchdowns over the final three minutes of the first half to surge ahead, and then it held on in the second half despite an Amat rally.
The Trailblazers (9-4) earned their seventh straight victory and avenged their last loss nearly two months ago to Bishop Amat when they blew a big lead and fell, 31-28 in overtime.
Sierra Canyon’s Dane Dunn talked after rushing for 166 yards and two TDs in 29-23 win over Bishop Amat. pic.twitter.com/eIKfWIJ0IK
Bishop Amat’s Isaac Ochoa booted a 37-yard field goal to cut Sierra Canyon’s lead to 6 points with 5:47 left, but the Trail Blazers held on with two big interceptions.
Jae’on Young got an interception for Sierra Canyon with under three minutes left, and then when Amat got it back for a last ditch effort, Jaylen’dai Sumlin picked off QB Richie Munoz with 33 seconds left to seal it.
“I couldn’t be more proud our defense won the game tonight,” Sierra Canyon coach Jon Ellinghouse said. “It was a little sloppy out there but our defense made plays when it mattered. That’s a great football team that we beat. We have a lot of respect for them.”
Sierra Canyon’s Dane Dunn rushed for 165 yards and two touchdowns to pace the Trail Blazers offensively.
“He’s been our guy,” Ellinghouse said of Dunn. “We lined him up and he did a great job.”
Bishop Amat’s Munoz threw for 154 yards and a touchdown, but also had three interceptions.
Bishop Amat coach Steve Hagerty did not want to speak afterward.
Bishop Amat needed 12 plays to go 80 yards on its opening drive, capped with Munoz’s 25-yard touchdown pass to Aiden Valdez for a 7-0 lead, but that’s all it would do in the first half.
Both teams had trouble sustaining drives until Sierra Canyon got it going late in the first half with three quick scores.
Dunn followed a 13 yard run with a 1-yard touchdown, cutting Amat’s lead to 7-6 after the Lancers blocked the extra point with 2:46 left until half.
Sierra Canyon took the lead a minute later after Xavier White picked off Munoz and returned it 28 yards for a touchdown and 12-7 lead after the Lancers blocked the extra point again.
Bishop Amat’s offense continued to struggle, going three and out and giving the Trailblazers a chance to extend their lead before half, and they did just that.
Quarterback Alfonzo Esparza threaded a 14-yard touchdown pass over the middle to Eddie “Trey” Byrd with 32 seconds left and a 19-7 lead.
The Trailblazers started with the ball in the third and used up 8 minutes and 13 seconds before settling on Ashton Zamani’s 27 yard field goal to surge ahead, 22-7.
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Freshman Rodney Sermons, the son of Amat Hall of Famer Rodney Sermons, returned the ensuing kickoff 98 yards for a touchdown to ignite the Lancers.
After getting a stop, Amat went to work early in the fourth quarter, with Aiden Ramos eventually scoring on a 6-yard touchdown and after a missed extra point, the Lancers trailed 22-20 with 9:21 left.
But SC quickly answered. Terrell Cooks Jr., returned the kickoff 50 yards, then Dunn ran 43 yards and finished with a 3-yard touchdown run to push the Trailblazers’ lead to 29-20 with 8:30 left.
