SAN JACINTO 43, HEMET 41
BY MATT JOCKS
SAN JACINTO Big-play lightning is the style for San Jacinto High, while Hemet prefers big-back thunder. The common denominator is that big-time mistakes will put the brakes on both. Ultimately, mistakes were the difference Friday as San Jacinto hung on for a 43-41 Mountain Pass League victory after nearly squandering a 29-point lead. Mistakes put Hemet (4-2, 0-1 in league) in a hole early, as San Jacinto scored a pair of defensive touchdowns, one a 60-yard interception return by Arin Mannery, the other a 33-yard fumble return by Mario Rubio. However, it was another mistake in the fourth quarter that sealed the Bulldogs’ fate. Having trailed, 36-7, at one point, the Bulldogs pulled to within two early in the fourth quarter. But on a second-and-7 play, the Bulldogs were called for holding and then took an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for arguing the call, backing them up to a second-and-35. Hemet punted and never got the ball back, as San Jacinto’s sophomore quarterback Isiah Bolding orchestrated a clock-killing drive over the final 4:25. Bolding had made a couple of key errors during Hemet’s comeback but answered every key situation down the stretch. “We’re not where we are without him,” San Jacinto coach Bill Powell said. “I’m sure there are a few plays we’re going to have to look at, but there were definitely a lot of big plays he made for us.” The two defensive scores and a couple of Bolding-to- Ryan Muir scoring passes helped the Tigers (6-0, 1-0) build the big lead but it was never enough to make Powell feel safe. “Give Hemet a ton of credit,” he said. “I told our guys at halftime that they (Hemet) would never quit. They just wear you down and pound you with that big back. We were already tired at the half.” The “big back” is Jeff Martin, who had 22 carries by halftime. He finished with 183 yards on 37 carries. The Bulldogs had scoring drives of 19 and 14 plays. Trailing, 43-14, early in the third quarter, Hemet scored on four consecutive possessions, aided by Nick Emerson’s interception and a wild center snap by San Jacinto that set up Hemet’s final score. “When I got here, it was about keeping the team bonded together,” Hemet coach Jeff Reitz said. “Making the playoffs last year changed the paradigm. Losing is unacceptable. There’s nothing good about it.”