Wildcats Stun #4 Seed Mary Star
The 29 Palms Varsity Wildcats produced one of the biggest upsets in the C.I.F.
playoff brackets, with a stunning 17 - 14 victory over Mary Star of San Pedro.
With just 10 seconds remaining in the game, Junior place kicker Peter Babuata
connected on a 22 yard field goal for a wild 17 -14 Wildcat Victory. The Wildcats
marched 68 yards down the field with just one minute and 14 seconds left on the
clock. Junior Linebacker Justin Lamore made one of the biggest plays of the season
when he intercepted a Mary Star Pass at the 28 yard line, setting up the last
minute heroics. Junior Qb T.J. Stanford connected on 4 of his last 5 passes to
guide the team down to the 1 yard line. Senior Antonio Oquendo caught three of
the four passes, including a diving 27 yard reception at the Mary Star one yard
line. Senior Nick Young grabbed a key 3rd down reception to keep the drive going
as well. Mary Star called time out to Ice Babuata, who was attempting only his
second field goal of the season. Babuata proved to have ice water in his veins
as the young man calmly split the uprights to send the Wildcats on to face Tri-Valley
#3 seed Oaks Christian.
The Wildcats endured an extremely long 5 hour bus ride to San Pedro, arriving
with just minutes to play. Usually a long trip has a negative effect, but the
Wildcats stepped off the bus ready to play. Sophomore Kyle Candalaria's opening
kickoff bounced off a Mary Star up -back and a wild scramble gave the Cats prime
field position at the Mary Star 45 yard line. The Wildcats delivered a 10 play
scoring drive thanks to hard rushing from Ron Hampton, Nick Young, and T.J. Stanford.
The Wildcat offensive line performed flawlessly in the opening drive, allowing
Hampton to race 10 yards on the final play of the drive to give the cats a quick
7 -0 lead. Both teams moved the ball in the 1st half, but missed on key opportunities
to score. The Wildcats went into the locker room with a 7- 0 lead. The Cats would
strike first again in the second half as Qb. T.J. Stanford connected with Junior
Tight End Lance Bednorski down the sidelines for a 56 yard scoring strike. Babuata's
second point after made it 14 - 0 Cats. However, on the next possession Mary
Star would respond with their own long distance score, as senior qb Daniel Rameriz
hit senior wide out Derrick Robinson for a 50 yard scoring strike. With the point
after it was still 14 - 7 in favor of the Wildcats. Mary Star would call upon
the same duo again, late in the fourth quarter. With just over 5 minutes to play
and pinned deep in their own territory, a 3rd down and long pass play would even
the score. Robinson snagged a ball that was just barely through the hands of
Wildcat safety Antonio Oquendo, and raced 76 yards for a tying touchdown. The
Stars forced the Cats to punt on their next possession, and took over at midfield
with just under three minutes to play. Mary Star drove down to the Wildcat 28,
and looked to be in prime field goal territory, but Lamore's interception changed
the outcome of the game.
"Our kids played with a lot of heart and emotion tonight, stated head coach
Ernest Martinez. We played our best ball game of the season! We only had 3 penalties,
and did not turn the ball over one time. I would like to thank the players and
the coaching staff for their hard work this week in practice. This was a great
game to be a part of, and will be one we remember for a long time." We had
a great support group and fan base at the game, and their support was tremendous."
The Wildcats will travel to Westlake Village to play Oaks Christian of theTri-Valley
league. Oaks Christian is 9 - 2, coming off a opening round 37 - 0 win at Yucca
Valley. Game time will be at 7:30 on Friday.