Friday Night Lights (Week 8 MHS vs. Atwater HS) Shock and Awe at Santa Fe Bowl XL: Atwater wins thriller with last-second touchdown!

Two Words... WE LOST

Here's the skinny on last nights game...The senior hauled in a 41-yard touchdown pass from Nathan Sanchez (my cousin) with 5 seconds left to help Atwater pull off a miracle 21-20 win over Merced on Friday night at Stadium '76. Atwater's win creates a logjam atop the Central California Conference with Atwater, Merced and Los Banos all tied at 3-1.

Atwater's chances of pulling out a victory didn't look very promising after Merced had scored on a big play of its own.
Merced took a 20-14 lead when quarterback Rudy Monteon hooked up with Juan Valenica (my nephew)for a 30-yard touchdown pass on a fourth down play.
A bad snap on the extra-point attempt kept the lead at six points with 1:37 left in the game.

The win snapped Merced's CCC winning streak at 21.
It was a game Merced let get away after jumping out to a 14-0 lead after two second-quarter touchdown runs by Eric DeAnda, who finished with 114 yards on 32 carries.

Merced had three second-half touchdowns called back!!!! (we were robbed of two of those) J. People returned his second interception of the game 63 yards, including a flip into the end zone only to have the score negated by a block in the back.
People again brought the Merced crowd to their feet early in the fourth quarter when he scooped up a fumble and ran 80 yards for another apparent score.

However, the referees blew an inadvertent whistle to blow the play dead.
Merced had to settle for the ball back at its own 36-yard line.

We have one game left in the CCC and its going to be just as important as this one was. Not giving up hope! Our boys played hard but it just wasn't our night...

*Merced Sun-Star