La Quinta cashes ticket to CIF football playoffs with convincing win
Starting the night off with fireworks, the La Quinta Blackhawks wasted little time lighting the wick to a trip to the CIF-SS playoffs on Friday night.
Opening the evening with a double-reverse flea flicker which resulted in a 71-yard touchdown pass from Sean Jones to Juan Bautista, the Blackhawks went on to beat visiting Shadow Hills 53-16. With the victory, La Quinta assured itself of a top three finish in the Desert Empire League and an automatic trip to the postseason.
"I asked for it. I knew it was going to work," said Bautista of the opening play.
Shadow Hills (3-7, 1-4 DEL) saw its own campaign come to a close with the defeat.
The night's final tally belied a contest which was tight in its early stages as the squads were tied at 7-7 midway through the second quarter before Blackhawks sophomore linebacker Robert Garcia turned an interception into a 8-yard touchdown.
After the Knights cut the deficit to 13-10 with five minutes to play in the half, compliments of a 35-yard field goal by sophomore kicker Alexander Cervantes, the Blackhawks answered minutes later with a 54-yard touchdown connection from Jones to Bautista.
Another La Quinta TD in the final minute of the second quarter presented a 26-16 halftime edge. And though Shadow Hills did score on its opening drive in the third quarter to get back within 10 points, touchdowns from the Blackhawks on their three ensuing drives provided the distance for the hosts to coast through the final quarter.
"Our kids showed up," Blackhawks head coach Juan Ruiz said. "It wasn't the best week of practice, but we know we're capable of playing good football and we did that tonight. The kids were motivated, they wanted to go to the playoffs and this is what we had to do to get there. And if we play the way we're capable of playing, I think we've got some good things going (for the playoffs); and it depends on what division we're in as well."
The stars
-- La Quinta senior wideout Bautista finished his monster night with five catches for 156 yards, including his pair of opening half scores.
-- La Quinta senior halfback Steven Perez carried the ball 20 times for 97 yards and scored three touchdowns.
-- Blackhawks burly junior back Lorenzo Herrera rushed 13 times for 69 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
-- Shadow Hills sophomore wideout Brandon Peffers caught eight passes from quarterback Greg Hollis on the night.
The moment
After setting the tone amid a playoff-type atmosphere with the opening play heroics, La Quinta's recovery of a Knights' fumble on the Shadow Hills 24-yard line late in the second quarter provided key momentum heading into half. After the turnover, the Blackhawks scored on the next play from scrimmage, a 24-yard touchdown rush from Perez, to turn a 10-point lead into a 26-10 edge.
The chatter
Ruiz on the night's opening play: "We've been working it all week, and I didn't tell the kids until the game started that we were running it. They were happy to hear that, and it worked."
Bautista on the win: "We didn't want this to be our last game, so we came out here to get another week for our seniors."
Bautista on Friday's motivations: "We saw their (Shadow Hills) social media; we didn't really care, but we saw they were talking a lot of smack. And then, tonight before the game, they walked across our logo."
Bautista on playoff potential: "I think we can go a couple rounds. We have a lot of heart, and a lot of fight. We don't give up. We keep pushing forward."
The takeaway
La Quinta may not be a perfect team, but, per Bautista's words, the Blackhawks undoubtedly play with real passion. With wins in three of their past four games, they'll enter CIF on a hot streak and with confidence on a high. Provided the right matchup, La Quinta will be a dangerous playoff opponent if they can operate with even a slim lead and use some very solid line play to their advantage.
What's next
La Quinta (6-4, 3-2 DEL) awaits its playoff fate, which they'll learn when the CIF-SS postseason brackets are released at 10 a.m. Sunday.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: La Quinta cashes ticket to CIF football playoffs with convincing win
