IRVINE — The difference between the Trabuco Hills and Crean Lutheran football teams came down to three plays on Friday night.

A botched snap by the Saints on a punt attempt in the final seconds of the first half, a sack-fumble that led to the go-ahead touchdown by Trabuco Hills in the fourth quarter, and a gutsy call on fourth down that sealed the 31-21 victory by the Mustangs at Crean Lutheran High.

“A few plays go our way and it’s a different score,” Crean Lutheran coach Rick Curtis said.

Newspaper Ads Canyon Crest CA

Crean Lutheran (2-1) led 21-17 at the start of the fourth quarter and had marched to the Trabuco Hills 13-yard line when Jalen McDowell sacked Jeremiah Finaly and knocked the ball loose.

Joey Carlos fell on the ball at the 34 with 8:27 remaining and the Mustangs quickly took advantage, marching downfield and taking a 24-21 lead on a 2-yard touchdown run by Taylor Bowie with 5:25 left.

“You knew Jalen was going to bring it and make a play at some point, and Jalen McDowell made a really big play when we needed it right there,” Trabuco Hills coach Mark Nolan said.

The Mustangs (2-0) stopped Crean Lutheran on downs and got the ball back with 3:26 remaining.

Facing a fourth-and-7 from the Trabuco Hills 31, the Mustangs elected to go for it with a screen play to Bowie, who caught the ball with blockers and room in front.

He pushed through several tacklers and then lost the ball just as he reached the goal line. The ball bounced out of the side of the end zone, but the officials ruled Bowie had broken the plane and awarded him the touchdown with 2:01 left.

“I’m not going to lie, it was coming a little loose,” Bowie said of the fumble.

Curtis thought it was a touchback as well.

“They got us on the screen play, but we thought they fumbled,” he said.

The Saints had a 7-3 lead late in the first half, but a snap sailed over the head of the Crean Lutheran punter and Ben Holland got to the ball first, running the final 5 yards to give the Mustangs a 10-7 lead with 21 seconds remaining.

“We’re a super young team so we made some mistakes,” Curtis said.

Ben Byszewski caught a 40-yard touchdown pass from Jeremiah Finaly on the first drive of the second half to move the Saints back ahead 14-10.

The Mustangs answered on their first drive of the second half. With the help of two personal foul penalties, the first after an incomplete pass on third down, Trabuco Hills scored on a 12-yard run by Bowie for a 17-14 lead with 7:30 left in the third quarter.

Crean Lutheran went back to the air and Finaly hit Luke Doyle with a 36-yard strike before finding Daylin Caamano for a 24-yard touchdown off a slant to put the Saints back in front 21-17 with 5:06 left in the third.

Finaly completed 18-of-26 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns.

“Jeremiah had a great game,” Curtis said. “First big game and he really settled down in the second half.”