FOOTBALL: Serra Ties Mitty, 40-40

The Score: Serra 40, Mitty 40.

The Star: Serra High kicker Parker Toms drilled two field goals (36 and 33 yards), the second of which came with eight-tenths of a second left to forge a West Catholic Athletic League draw for the visiting Padres.

The Turning Point: It appeared that the turning point would be Mitty's fourth-quarter surge, which wiped out Serra's 37-26 lead. But in the end, Parker Toms' last-second field goal proved to be the final shift, knotting the teams at the end of a memorable battle.

The Quote: "It just a bitter taste in our mouths right now." —Serra lineman Michael Tatola, whose team settled for a tie after first leading Mitty by 11 points in the fourth quarter and then falling behind by three.

What's Next? Serra hosts Riordan Nov. 6 at 2 p.m., the Padres' second-to-last WCAL game. Mitty hosts Bellarmine at Foothill College on Nov. 5 at 7 p.m.

The Bottom Line: Serra stood toe to toe with one of the best teams in the Central Coast Section. The tie means that the Padres are still within range of second place in the WCAL. More than anything, surging Serra appears to have a newfound confidence that could result in a deep run in the CCS Open Division playoffs.

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As Serra High's Parker Toms stepped onto the rain-drenched field at Foothill College, he thought of only one thing — nailing a game-tying, 33-yard field goal.

And Toms did just that, connecting with eight-tenths of a second left to help Serra forge a 40-40 tie with host Mitty in a thrilling West Catholic Athletic League battle on Friday night.

"That's the way I love it … and that's the way I want it," Toms said.

Serra, perhaps a slight underdog heading in, led Mitty (4-3-1, 3-1-1 WCAL) for nearly the entire contest.

But Mitty, which trailed 37-26 in the fourth quarter, battled back behind two Rocky Meszaros touchdowns to take a three-point lead with 2:24 left.

Serra (5-2-1, 3-1-1) quickly answered with an 80-yard drive. After the Padres began the possession largely with running plays, Andy McAlindon hit John Vincent for an 11-yard completion to the 16-yard line. Then Serra spiked the ball with four seconds left to set the stage for Toms' clutch kick.

Once Toms connected, the Serra sideline erupted with a frenzied yet short-lived celebration.

"It's almost one of those games where I'm happy nobody lost," said Serra coach Patrick Walsh, adding that he had never been in a shootout quite like Friday's game. "But then again, I don't think either side is really that happy, either. We had opportunities offensively to put the game away. It was a hard-fought WCAL game."

Though content that their team didn't lose, Toms and his teammates felt they should've beaten Mitty.

"I wouldn't call it a victory, because I thought we handily won this game," Toms said, who also made a 36-yard field goal in the first quarter. "But in the WCAL, you never know what's going to happen."

"We weren't doing what we were practicing all week," Serra lineman Michael Tatola said. "It's just a bitter taste in our mouths right now."

After missing nearly all of the last three games with an injury, Serra star running back Erich Wilson returned with a flourish—rushing for 200 yards and three touchdowns on 17 attempts.

"It felt good just coming out and playing again," said Wilson, who had TD runs of 36, 40 and 3 yards. "At least we didn't go out losing by three points. We just showed that we're fighters, and that's all that matters."

The teams combined for a staggering rushing output. Serra totaled 392 rushing yards on just 31 attempts. Mitty carried 62 times for 341 yards. Joe Cecco led the Monarchs with 120 rushing yards on 14 attempts, while Meszaros carried 24 times for 101 yards.

On the heels of a three-game win streak, Serra remains in range of second place in the WCAL after its tie. The Padres, who share third place with Mitty, would earn at least a share of second by winning their final two regular-season games—against Riordan and two-time defending league champion Bellarmine.

Serra's defense, which has improved markedly since a 52-23 loss to WCAL-leading Valley Christian on Oct. 2, pressured and hurried Mitty quarterback Kyle Boehm all night long, sacking him five times. However, the Cal-bound Boehm repeatedly used his athleticism to keep his team in the game, throwing two TD strikes to receiver Brandon White and running for another score.

"He's a great player," Tatcla said of Boehm, who rushed for 106 yards. "He found a way to make plays … and all credit to him."

Tatola registered 1.5 sacks and had a fumble recovery.

Things didn't start well for Serra. The Padres fumbled early on their opening drive, and Mitty's Bobby Marani recovered and ran for a 19-yard score.

Minutes later, however, Serra's Eric Redwood had a 41-yard TD on a punt return. Later, running back Mark Timko exploded for an 85-yard scoring run.

"We had a bunch of big plays tonight," Walsh said. "I think obviously defensively we have a lot of things that we need to do to shorten things up. (Boehm) is a great player. That's what this league is all about."

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Serra 40, Mitty 40

S — 17 7 7 9 — 40

M — 6 13 7 14 — 40

Mitty — Marani 19 rumble recovery (Vaca failed)

Serra — Wilson 36 run (Toms kick)

Serra — Toms 36 FG

Serra — Redwood 41 punt return

Mitty — White 7 pass from Boehm (Vaca failed)

Serra — Wilson 40 run (Toms kick)

Mitty — White 14 pass from Boehm (Vaca kick)

Serra — Wilson 3 run (Toms kick)

Mitty — Boehm 7 run (Vaca kick)

Serra — Timko 85 run (Bravo run failed)

Mitty — Meszaros 7 run (Vaca kick)

Mitty — Meszaros 4 run (Vaca kick)

Serra — Toms 33 FG

RUSHING: S: Wilson 17-200, Timko 4-109, Bravo 2-47, Redwood 7-31, McAlindon 1- 5. Totals 31-392. M: Cecco 14-120, Boehm 20-106, Meszaros 24-101, Ruiz 1-7, McClenahen 1-4, Marani 1-3, Malley 1-0. Totals 62-341

PASSING: S: McAlindon 3-8-1-27, Redwood 0-2-0-0. Totals 3-10-1-27. M: Boehm 8-16-0-82.

RECEIVING: Vincent 2-16, Bravo 1-11. Totals 3-27. M: Ruiz 3-29, White 2-21, McClenahen 2-19, Malley 1-13. Totals 8-82.

FUMBLES/LOST: S: 1/1. M: 2/1

RECORDS: Serra 5-2-1, 3-1-1 WCAL. Mitty 4-3-1, 3-1-1.