The Madera Coyotes were a part of a game where the teams combined for more than 100 points and 1,000 yards of offense for the third straight game, and the Coyotes came out with a win to advance to the quarterfinals of the Div. III Central Section playoffs.
Darius Smith rushed for 300 yards on 35 carries, and scored five touchdowns in 11th-seeded Madera’s 59-48 victory over sixth-seeded Templeton on Friday.
Madera earns a quarterfinal date at No. 3 Nipomo for its second trip to the coast in two weeks.
Madera rushed for 400 yards as a team. Quarterback Elias Mena added 326 yards in the air for 726 total yards. Meanwhile, Templeton had 365 yards of total offense.
Mena also rushed for 82 yards. Jayden Martinez caught five passes for 111 yards and two touchdowns. Lawrence Flores caught four passes for 82 yards and a touchdown. Jayden Perez also scored a touchdown.
Templeton went three-and-out to open the game, and the Coyotes went on a 12-play, 75-yard drive to get on the scoreboard. Eleven of the 12 plays were runs.
Smith opened the drive with two carries for 13-yards. Mena went up the middle for 12.
Anthony Estrada scored on a 39-yard touchdown run, but a holding penalty was called. On fourth-and-one, Martinez got the carry out of wildcat, and broke four tackles on a 13-yard run.
Three plays later, Smith went up the middle from 15 yards out for a 7-0 lead with about five minutes left in the first.
Templeton overcame a sack by Brian Qualls to score on its next drive. They got a 16-yard scramble on third-and-10, and then a 37-yard run to Madera’s 18. Three plays later, Templeton scored on a sneak to tie the score.
Two plays into the next drive, Madera fumbled, and Templeton recovered. The Eagles scored on the next play with a 40-yard seam pass for 14-7 lead just 27 seconds after their previous score.
The Coyotes quickly came back. Smith went behind Martinez to the right, and side-stepped a defender for a 32-yard gain to midfield. Two plays later, Mena scrambled, and hit Flores cutting across the field. Flores side-stepped a defender at the 30, and went in for the touchdown. The point after was wide, and Templeton led, 14-13.
Qualls made two stuffs on defense for force a Templeton punt.
The Coyotes drove 70-yards on eight plays to take the lead. Mena carried for 12 and 13 yards to midfield. Mena got a first down with a three-yard run.
Two plays later, Mena hit Martinez on a slant. Martinez turned the ball up the field to turn a 10-yard gain into a 37-yard touchdown, and a 20-14 lead.
Both teams had two possessions before the end of the first half without a score.
The Coyotes opened the second half with a quick score. Smith broke three Templeton tackles for a 48-yard gain into Eagles’ territory. Two plays later, Mena hit Perez on a quick slant, and Perez did the rest for a 25-yard touchdown, and a 27-14 lead.
Templeton scored four minutes later. They got a 29-yard run, and a 25-yard pass to get inside Madera’s 10. On fourth-and-goal, Templeton completed a three-yard pass to cut Madera’s lead to six.
Madera struck two minutes later. The key play was a Mena keeper on third-and-three for eight yards. Mena then hit Flores for 17 yards to the Templeton 37.
Smith lined up in wildcat, and took the snap. He pitched it to Mena while Smith ran a wheel down the left sideline. Mena sent him a perfect pass for the touchdown, and a 33-21 lead.
Templeton came right back within two minutes to answer. They completed a 67-yard pass play to cut Madera’s lead to five with four minutes left in the third.
Flores returned the ensuing kick 44 yards to the Templeton 40. Then, Smith got the ball up the middle, jump cut to his left, and went down the sideline behind a downfield block by Adam Ornelas for the touchdown. Mena hit Perez for the two-point conversion, and a 41-28 lead.
However, Templeton went right through the middle of Madera’s kick coverage team for a 95-yard kick return touchdown to get the lead back to one score.
Madera returned the favor two plays later. After Mena ran for 12 on a third down conversion, Smith got the next carry. He went up the middle, and broke to his right. He got a downfield block from Ornelas for a 42-yard touchdown run. Ochoa’s kick gave Madera 48-35 lead with two minutes left in the third.
Templeton went on an eight-play, 66-yard drive to cut the lead down by converting a fourth-and-seven into a 17-yard touchdown.
Madera, once again, answered back. Mena hit Flores for six, Perez for 10, and Martinez for 20 to the Templeton 10. Three plays later, Mena hit Martinez, who boxed out his opponent, in the end zone for the touchdown for a 53-42 lead with seven minutes left in the game.
Thanks to a sack by Qualls, Templeton threw incomplete on third and fourth down to turn the ball over.
Mena started the next drive with a 19-yard pass to Martinez. He hit Smith out of the backfield for 29 yards on third-and-six.
Two plays later, Smith scored off the left side from 31 yards out for the touchdown, and a 59-42 lead with 2:32 left in the game.
Templeton got two Madera pass interference penalties on the next drive, and scored from 23 yards out with 1:53 left to cut Madera’s lead to 59-48.
Templeton’s onsides kick went out of bounds, and the Coyotes kneeled out the clock for the win.