This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Sports

Redlands East Valley Outlasts Redlands in Overtime, 21-14

The two rivals put on a show for a packed house of about 7,000 people at Dodge Field at Redlands High School.

Turns out, all the cliches are true.

When two rivals meet, you can throw out the records and rankings. The two sides will decide the game on the field.

Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

That was the case Friday night as undefeated -- and nationally-ranked -- Redlands East Valley needed overtime to beat Redlands, 21-14, before a crowd of about 7,000 people packed into Dodge Field.

"It's always a tight game," said Redlands East Valley coach Kurt Bruich. "We felt like if we could score 21 points, we could get a victory. And it took extra quarters, but we scored 21 points."

Find out what's happening in Redlands-Loma Lindawith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But it wasn't easy for the Wildcats (7-0 overall, 2-0 Citrus Belt League). Redlands' defense held strong when it counted all night, stopping Redlands East Valley short of the end zone after two turnovers. And three missed field goals for the Wildcats -- including one with 13.1 seconds left in the game -- led to overtime.

The Wildcats weren't the only ones missing out on opportunities due to little mistakes. Redlands (2-5, 1-1) committed 126 yards in penalties, including one that erased a field goal late in the first half, and a roughing the kicker penalty in overtime that backed them up to the 40-yard-line to start their possession.

"We just couldn't get it done at the end," said Redlands coach Jim Walker. "That roughing the kicker penalty hurt us. It put us in a tough spot, 40 yards out. It is what it is, and we'll go from there."

The Wildcats employed a hurry-up formation that kept the Terriers' defense on its heels for most of the night. They racked up 22 first downs with 432 yards of total offense. But penalties, which beset both teams, slowed down drives.

Meanwhile, Redlands used two big plays to have a 14-7 lead early in the third quarter. John Pinales returned a punt 68 yards to tie the game in the second quarter.

Then, trapped deep by a REV punt on its first possession of the second half, the Terriers turned to junior running back Craig Lee. Starting at their own 7, Lee carried the ball gains of 3, 2 and 88 yards to fire up the home stands.

But the lead didn't last long, as REV marched down the field, capped off by a 3-yard-run by quarterback Austin Decoud.

And it was Decoud who put the final dagger in the Terriers' hope of an upset in overtime. He called his own number over the left side, battling his way into the end zone from 15 yards out for the deciding score.

Download the movie

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Redlands-Loma Linda