In a thriller, Shadow Hills scores a touchdown with 1.1 seconds left to beat Serrano
Trey Hollis needed just 28 seconds to drive Shadow Hills High School 66 yards for the game-winning score with 1.1 seconds remaining in a dramatic high school football win Friday over Serrano High.
After driving the Knights to the 10-yard line, and with just 7.5 seconds remaining, Hollis made the decision to tuck the ball and run for the end zone rather than risk tossing the ball up into the air. It proved to be the right decision, with Hollis crossing the goal line nearly untouched on a play that won the game.
The 19-16 win came on the heels of a one-score loss last week against Yucaipa.
Knights’ head coach David Palmer said that nearly coming back to win that game, after falling behind by three touchdowns, provided momentum and confidence Friday.
“That’s what happens when you don’t give up!” Palmer yelled to players as the team huddled after the win over Serrano.
After Serrano scored with 34 seconds remaining Friday, it appeared as though Shadow Hills (2-2) would lose its second consecutive close game against a perennial San Bernardino County powerhouse.
But Hollis and his teammates then sprung into action.
Following a lengthy stoppage in play that led to Shadow Hills’ Zach Goebel being carted off the field with a left arm injury, Hollis first connected with teammate Pedro Trujillo on a short pass. Trujillo reached the sideline to stop the clock.
Hollis then found Xavier Rodriguez for a 16-yard pass, before Rodriguez also reached the Shadow Hills sideline. Hollis then threw a pass to Rodriguez that split two defenders to put the Knights on the 10-yard line with 7.5 seconds left. The Knights used their final timeout to stop the clock.
On the next play, which could have been the last of the game, Hollis took the snap and almost immediately tucked it, scrambled to his right and reached the end zone next to the right pylon. His teammates mobbed him in celebration as the home crowd roared in the background.
“I knew they were looking for the deep ball,” said Hollis, whose given name is Greg. “I stepped back, had some great blocks and basically walked in.”
Hollis said that he couldn’t discredit how Goebel’s injury played a role in the final outcome. He said that there was talk among Shadow Hills players that they wanted to win the game for Goebel and the desire to do so was fuel to lift their play to another level.
“We kept our heads up the whole time, man,” Hollis said.
It would have been easy for the Knights to hang their heads after what transpired through the game’s first 47 minutes. Four defensive starters sat with injuries and star defensive end Dominic Alba left the game early with an injury that was felt hard as Serrano scored all of its points in the second half.
Then, the Diamondbacks scored a go-ahead touchdown in the final minute and Goebel, who smiled and waved to the crowd after lying on the field for 10 minutes, left in an ambulance.
“A lot of kids showed up tonight,” Palmer said. “I was really impressed with how well they drove down the field and took this game.”
The stars
Aside from Hollis, who finished the game with 176 passing yards, a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown, multiple players played a key role in the victory.
Rodriguez caught seven passes for 108 yards and a touchdown and made multiple big tackles from the safety position.
Trujillo scored a 1-yard touchdown run in the game to give the Knights an early fourth quarter lead.
Defensively, lineman Noah Fajardo recorded a pair of quarterback sacks, Alba had another, as did lineman Isaac Martinez.
Middle linebacker Jermiah Peffers finished the game with nine tackles, including two for loss. Cornerback Francisco Franco recovered a fumble in the first half.
For Serrano, running back Trevor McSween ran for 113 yards and two touchdowns.
Up next
The Knights will play Diamond Ranch on the road on Friday in their final non-league game of the season. They’ll open Desert Empire League play two weeks later against Xavier Prep.
Andrew John covers sports in the Coachella Valley for The Desert Sun and the USA TODAY Network. Email him at andrew.john@desertsun.com.
This article originally appeared on Palm Springs Desert Sun: Shadow Hills beats Serrano with improbable 66-yard, 28-second drive
