Arcadia Football Wins Thriller, Advances in Playoffs
By Spencer Stueve
The Arcadia Apaches and the Hillcrest Trojans opened their Division 11 playoff matchup with a bang. The two teams both had strong regular season records, each finishing 7-3 during the regular season. Last Friday, the two teams took the field at Hillcrest High School in Riverside, and put on a show for the fans.
For much of the game, Coach Andrew Policky and the Apaches were frustrated by the Trojans. After coming out in a different defensive front and playing different coverages than Coach Policky expected, the Trojans were able to confuse the Apaches enough to slow down their offense. The Apaches played well enough on defense themselves, however, and they remained within striking distance until the very end.
With under one minute to play, the Apaches had a chance to steal victory and move on in the playoffs. The score was 20-14 Hillcrest, and Arcadia had the ball and was driving. It would all come down to one play. 4th and 13. 56 seconds to play. Arcadia Quarterback Max Davila took the snap and instantly felt the Trojan rush. He scrambled and found Frankie Contreras for 18 yards and the game winning touchdown. Arcadia won the game 21-20 and will face Katella High School in the second round of the playoffs on Friday.