LA PUENTE — Following COVID in 2021, Duarte didn’t have enough players to field a team but the Falcons came from behind in the second half Friday night to knock off previously undefeated La Puente, 28-27, to finish in a three-way tie for the Miramonte League title with the Warriors and Ganesha.
There will be a coin flip to determine in what order the teams will be seeded in the CIF-Southern Section playoffs next week. The pairings will be released on Sunday.
The Warriors, (9-1, 4-1) missing their starting quarterback Ezekeil Zamora, who had thrown for 25 touchdowns, turned to junior running back Aaron Silva, and he had the Falcons on their heels before Silva went down with 9:54 left in the second quarter.
Silva carried the ball 16 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns to give the Warriors a 14-0 lead before leaving the game.
“They ran the ball against us really well,” Falcons coach Sergio Gradilla said. “We didn’t play very well in the first half but that kickoff return was a huge turnaround for us.”
Senior Jashian Wade took the kickoff following Silva’s second score and returned it 92-yards for a touchdown to keep the Falcons (9-1, 4-1) in the game.
“This week has been a challenging week for us,” Wade said. “One of our main guys, (Alex Perez) has been hurt and I just had to come in and take his place. Our freshman year we didn’t have very many players but 20 of us have been together since then and worked our way up. This feels really good.”
The Warriors then went to old-fashioned smash-mouth football, going 64-yards in 15 plays, converting twice on fourth down, capped by a two-yard run by Diego Sandoval to make the score 21-7 at the half.
The Falcons came out of the locker room on fire to start the second half.
They scored on their first two possessions, a one-yard run by quarterback Avenn Ortiz and a 51-yard pass from Ortiz to Alex Perez to tie the score at 21 apiece.
“We knew coming in here it was going to be a tough game,” Ortiz said. When their players went down, we took advantage. It was unfortunate for them but we just had to do what we had to do.”
There was no quit in the short handed Warriors. Sandoval appeared to carry the entire Falcon line into the end zone, capping a 20-play, 83-yard drive to take a 27-21 lead.
The Falcons Tamarr Thompson blocked the extra point to give the his team a chance to win it in regulation.
Ortiz, one of the top passing quarterbacks in the San Gabriel Valley used his legs instead of his arm to get his team back on top, scoring on a 35-yard run down the right sideline.
“I told coach there were only three down linemen in front of me and I could take off and they couldn’t stop me,” Ortiz said.
Senior Joaquin Gonzalez kicked his fourth extra point of the game for the final margin.
Ortiz completed nine of 17 passes for 125 yards and a touchdown. He carried the ball 17 times for 128 yards and two scores to lead the Falcons attack.