Bellflower withstood a late Valley Christian rally to win 37-35 on Friday night in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 8 playoffs, closing out a shootout between two standout dual-threat quarterbacks.
The Buccaneers (8-3) appeared to have control when quarterback Elacion Saxton scored on a 7-yard touchdown run on fourth and goal, pushing the lead to 10 points with 5:35 left in the fourth quarter. Defenders quarterback Graham Lunzer answered almost immediately, breaking free for a 28-yard touchdown run on the next series to cut the deficit to 31-28 with 4:34 remaining.
Saxton responded on fourth down again. Facing fourth and 1, he not only picked up the first down but raced 37 yards for a touchdown that made it 37-28, though Bellflower missed the point-after attempt with 2:14 left.
Lunzer struck back even faster, hitting receiver Byron Louis for a 78-yard catch-and-run touchdown just 12 seconds later. That pulled Valley Christian within two points with 2:02 to play.
Out of timeouts, the Defenders (6-4-1) tried an onside kick and appeared to recover at the Bellflower 45. After a lengthy discussion, however, officials ruled that a Valley Christian player touched the ball before it traveled the required 10 yards, penalizing the Defenders and giving possession to the Buccaneers, who ran out the clock.
“The ball didn’t travel 10 (yards), it was contacted at about eight yards and knocked forward, and then they scooped it up,” Bellflower head coach Keith Miller said. “It was a good game, good high school football game. This is what the playoffs (are) all about.”
Saxton finished with 269 passing yards, completing 14 of 21 attempts with three touchdowns, all in the first half, and one interception. He added 61 rushing yards and two second-half touchdowns on the ground. “My performance was like kill or be killed,” the senior said. “I’m a senior, it’s playoff time, I just want to win.”
Receiver Keon’Dre Smith contributed 142 yards on seven catches with a touchdown, and running back Kevin Cuba III ran for 193 yards on 29 carries with a score. “I think he played great, he executed very well,” Smith said of Saxton, noting that in the second half “most defenders don’t expect him to use his legs.”
Lunzer was brilliant in defeat for Valley Christian, rushing for 181 yards and four touchdowns while throwing for 269 yards on 14-of-25 passing with another score. “As much as I would love to take it all for myself, we have a lot of amazing guys on this field,” he said, crediting a young roster that lost about 20 seniors the previous year.
Bellflower advances to the quarterfinals, where it will play on the road next week.
