Tigers put up a good fight in title game, but Central Valley Christian holds on for a 27-26 victory

Central Valley Christian will host Semi Valley High School in the Division 2-A at 6 p.m. on Saturday. If CVC is successful, it will play the winner of the El Cerrito and Los Gatos game for the state championship.

One of the highlights of the game on Friday had to be the Tigers’ defensive unit that held the nation’s No. 6 rusher – Bryson Donelson – mostly in check. He did score a couple of times, but a stingy Tiger defense did a commendable job of containing him.

The Tigers trailed 7-0 in the first quarter but took control of the game in the second period, scoring 20 points, starting with a touchdown by Dameion Hernandez.

Following a CVC score that put the hosts up 15-6, the Tigers responded with a 37-yard pass completion to Elijah Daley for a touchdown and a two-point conversion to close the gap to 15-14, with CVC holding onto a one-point lead.

With under a minute left to play in the first half, Jace Silva helped turn the Tigers’ fortunes with an interception for a touchdown to give his squad a 20-15 lead going into the half.

Neither team scored in the third period, but with just about a minute in the fourth, CVC scored on a touchdown to take a 21-20 lead. Lemoore stopped a two-point conversion.

Tiger quarterback Alden McDaniel breaking a tackle, turning a loss into a big gain .

Photo by Bill Burris,photigerfur.com

With about five minutes left, Elijah Daley scored on a 46-yard run for a touchdown. However, Lemoore’s two-point conversion play failed, leaving the Tigers ahead at 26-21 with about five minutes left.

Finally, Lemoore’s hope for a Division II title faded when CVC scored on a pass play with about four minutes left in the game, leaving the Cavaliers with a 27-26 win.

CVC’s big-time player, Donelson was the recipient of the 52-yard pass for a touchdown that handed the Cavaliers the come-from-behind win and earned his team a trip to the state playoffs.