By Joe Laski
PASADENA, Calif. – The Maranatha High School Minutemen edged past the La Salle High School Lancers, 33-30, on Friday at Maranatha. Grant Schober’s game-clinching 35-yard field goal late in the fourth quarter led the Minutemen to a 4-0 record in non-league play.
Maranatha did not win in its usual fashion. Senior quarterback Eli Snyder did not live up to his usual standards, completing just nine of 18 passes for 137 yards, but his numbers pale in comparison to La Salle quarterback Will Pyburn’s 254 yards. Senior running back Caleb Devine ran for 107 yards on 22 carries and added one catch for a 52-yard touchdown, with 159 all-purpose yards. La Salle running back Will Mantley overshadowed Devine with 201 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns.
No, the Minutemen did not win because of its routinely explosive offense. Maranatha beat La Salle because of numerous game-changing special teams plays.
Senior placekicker and punter Grant Schober was successful on all four of his field goal attempts, including three of more than 30 yards. Two came in the first half to lessen La Salle’s lead to just 14-13 at halftime. But his final field goal, with just over two minutes remaining in the game, extended Maranatha’s lead, 33-22, and made it a two-possession game.
“I just try to do what I can for the team,” Schober said. “I only got one down to do what I can for the team but everyone else has four, so I just try to do my best on each down I get.”
Schober’s final kick was set up by an interception by junior D’mitri Mata that was returned for 50 yards to La Salle’s 25-yard line. This ended a promising La Salle drive that could have tied the score at 30 apiece with a touchdown successful two-point conversion.
“I felt way better than I did about three seconds before,” Maranatha head coach Steve Bogan said about Schober’s kick. “That peace that surpasses all understanding started to hit me in the heart. I said, ‘you know what, we’re gonna get this thing.’”
“I knew we had it after that,” Senior receiver Xavius Boone said. “[Before the kick] I told Grant [Schober], ‘do you want to win the game for us?’ and he was excited to kick it.” Boone added five catches for 73 yards, including an acrobatic 20-yard catch over a much taller cornerback early in the fourth quarter that got the crowd fired up en route to the Minutemen’s final touchdown.
Maranatha’s special teams also produced several impressive returns by Xavius Boone, including an early 45-yard kickoff return that, along with a La Salle penalty, allowed Maranatha to start a drive on the La Salle 14-yard line. Junior Nate Elffers also blocked a punt on the La Salle 30-yard line, and a pass attempt on a late-game fake punt play was batted down at the line of scrimmage.
After Schober’s final field goal, La Salle managed to score a touchdown and two-point conversion, cutting Maranatha’s lead to just 33-30 with 41 seconds remaining. But a failed onside kick attempt recovered by junior Luke Johnson allowed Maranatha to run the clock out.
“There’s moments you never forget,” Bogan said. “the guys are never gonna forget it and I’ll never forget it. This is a really special moment.”
Maranatha is now 4-3 overall against La Salle, but lost the last two games by a combined 103-7 margin. Once Maranatha reclaimed the rivalry trophy Friday night, the crowd of Maranatha fans stormed the field and celebrated at midfield.
Maranatha’s record improved to 4-0 with this win, and La Salle fell to 2-2 in non-league play. The Minutemen face Mark Keppel High School next Friday. League play starts Friday, October 10 against Valley Christian.
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