VALENCIA – One main element of late season football is that the stakes are always at their highest. Whether it’s competing for a title, or jockeying for playoff position, teams always have something to play for in the last weeks of the regular season.
Two teams in the latter category played each other on Friday night, and it was Castaic that came away with a crucial 20-16 win over Saugus.
Castaic senior running back Monty Coleman was the star of the show for the Coyotes as his 248 rushing yards and three touchdowns led the way.
And the biggest play in a night full of them for Coleman? That was when he found a crease up the middle and ran 31 yards for what proved to be the game winning touchdown with just under two minutes remaining.
For Coleman, his work in practice helps lead to the results on the field.
“My coaches told me just focus on what I see and focus on what I know I can do and just going hard in practice, staying focused, staying engaged in the game. It helps me see what I need to see,” Coleman said.
Saugus put up a fight for most of the contest.
Running back Ty Hall accounted for more than 100 yards on the ground and tight end Rylan Connelly was a key target for quarterback Jake Nuttall on the night.
Connelly found the end zone in the third quarter with a 49-yard grab, a score that gave Saugus a 10-6 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter, part of his 120-yard game.
Things really came to a head in the fourth quarter though.
Saugus drove 64 yards to take the lead with 4:56 remaining, a drive that Hall ended with a 15-yard score to give his team a 16-12 advantage.
But then Coleman played the hero role for Castaic, as his 31-yard score in response to Saugus’ touchdown gave the Coyotes a lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
And the senior said Castaic felt the stakes going into the game, as they likely needed a win to keep their automatic playoff hopes alive.
“One hundred percent there was pressure going into this game,” Coleman said.
“We know that getting this win would make us have a better chance at playoffs and we know that we have to go 110 percent in practice, and… it worked. It paid off.”
Castaic as a whole has come a long way in a short period of time.
In what is their third full season of varsity football, the program has a chance to finish in the top three of a strong Foothill League, a feat that if accomplished, would give the Coyotes an automatic playoff berth.
And Coleman is proud to help put the young program on the map.
“I’m very glad that I could be, I don’t wanna say it’s just me but, help my team put our face out there. You know, it’s good to put our feet in the water and let this league know who we are and that we’re not anybody to play with or take lightly,” Coleman said.
