Patriots pull out another Menifee Bowl win, claim trophy

Heritage High players hold the Menifee Bowl championship trophy high after beating Paloma Valley Friday night, 41-38. Photos by Kristi Jo Aguirre

Now that's a rivalry.

Heritage High School remained unbeaten all-time in football against Paloma Valley High Friday night, but it certainly wasn't easy. In the closest game of the eight meetings between the two Menifee schools since 2010, the Patriots scored a 41-38 victory to win the Sunbelt League championship.

Sherod White rushed for 247 yards and 4 touchdowns -- including runs of 64 and 47 yards -- and James Phillips scored the game-winner on a 43-yard run with 3:02 remaining as Heritage improved its overall record to 9-1 and finished the league season 5-0. Paloma Valley finished the regular season with an 8-2 overall mark, 4-1 in league, after a game that had the capacity crowd at Paloma Valley in a frenzy.

The Wildcats had a 38-34 lead with less than five minutes left in the game after a 1-yard touchdown dive by Damian Torres and Blaine Grillo's PAT kick. But it took Heritage only five plays to bounce back, driving from the Patriots' own 28-yard line to score on Phillips' sprint from midfield into the right corner of the end zone.

"We work on our explosiveness," said Phillips. "It’s all up to the linemen. If they block for us, that’s what we do. If they make the holes, we make the plays. I give all the credit to them.

"That’s the kind of games you want -- not every week, but at least a couple times a season. This is our first game like that this year. It came down to the wire and everybody had to fight for it."

Playing its first Menifee Bowl game under former Heritage assistant coach Tom Tello, the Wildcats held the lead for much of the first half. They fell behind at 20-17 a minute before halftime on White's 4-yard run and slipped further behind at 27-17 on a 19-yard pass from Heritage QB Devan Freedland to Rashoud Shelton midway through the third quarter.

At that point, things really got interesting.

Paloma Valley needed only three plays to drive 75 yards and score on a 25-yard run by Tyrese Tillman, cutting the deficit to 27-24. On Heritage's next possession, Paloma Valley's Torres recovered a Heritage fumble, setting up a 52-yard scoring drive capped by a Torres 7-yard scoring run for a 31-27 Wildcat lead.

Things looked even better for Paloma Valley when the Wildcats recovered an onside kick that barely covered the required 10 yards. But on the very next play, quarterback Chance Nolan was intercepted by Heritage linebacker Jesse Estrada.

"I made sure I got lined up correctly," Estrada said. "I got in my zone, looked at the receiver, and I looked at the quarterback. I kinda just read his eyes and I reacted as quick as I could.

"That was huge. It really turned around the whole momentum. Things could’ve been a lot different."

Heritage coach Kraig Broach agreed.

"That goes to the play of the seniors," Broach said. "Jesse Estrada, when we were about as down as could be, came up with a play that changed the whole dimension of the game. We’re talking seniors that found a way to get this win."

Motivated by the turnover, the Patriots scored in just four plays, with White racing 47 yards for a touchdown. Suddenly, Heritage was on top again, 34-31. But the action wasn't over.

Nolan, Torres and Tillman teamed up with their linemen to lead Paloma Valley down the field, with Torres scoring from a yard out for a 38-34 lead with 4:56 remaining.

Again, however, the Paloma Valley defense couldn't stop one of Heritage's speedsters. Phillips' 43-yard touchdown run capped a 72-yard scoring drive for a 41-38 lead. Nolan tried frantically to lead Paloma Valley on one final drive, but his fourth-down pass fell incomplete from midfield with less than two minutes remaining.

"I felt like we were doing whatever we wanted to do for a while there, then we kind of had some self-inflicted stuff," Nolan (left) said afterward. "But they’re No. 1 in Division 2 for a reason. That's a great team over there.

"It’s gonna sting on Saturday and Sunday, but once Monday hits, we’re ready to go for a CIF championship. That’s always the goal. It hurts more because it’s our crosstown rival, but we’ll get back to it on Monday."

Even though they are in the same league, Heritage and Paloma Valley are in different divisions for the CIF playoffs. Heritage is expected to receive a high seeding in the Division 2 playoffs when match-ups are announced on Sunday. Paloma Valley came into the game ranked sixth in Division 5.

Nolan passed for 339 yards and a touchdown for Paloma Valley. He also ran for 119 yards. Torres finished with 55 yards rushing and 3 touchdowns. Koale Schroeder caught 9 passes for 128 yards and Mason Carvalho had 7 catches for 107 yards and a TD.

"Not everything went pretty," Broach said after his team accepted the city championship trophy. "I'm very proud of how the kids persevered through the resistance of Paloma. A lot of things were weird and out of place. They just found a way.

"I am loving this year. I want to be around these guys as long as humanly possible. It was a big test tonight. You have to give it to Paloma Valley. That’s the best Paloma Valley team we’ve ever gone against. They made it very difficult and exhausting for us."

Heritage also improved its eight-year Sunbelt League record to a perfect 40-0.

Freedland gave much of the credit to his offensive line, which includes Nick Novak, Drew Dalton, Avante Robbs, Tonga Tavake, Parker Benner and Phillip Cyr.

"It's not only Sherod and James," Freedland said. "Our line ... they’re crazy. Most of them are returners. They do a great job of opening holes and giving the guys lanes to run."

Those blocks certainly opened up holes for White, who turned on the afterburners when he got the blocks on the final touchdown run. The speedy running back needed to make just one spin move off a block at midfield before he was off to the races.

"One cut and go," White said. "My coaches always told me that, and so did my dad. That’s what I do. One cut and go, and nobody can catch me."

Sherod White finds running room against the Paloma Valley defense in Friday night's game.

Paloma Valley players celebrate after Damian Torres (24) recovers a Heritage fumble.

James Phillips' 43-yard run late in the game provided Heritage with the winning margin.

Koale Schroeder caught 9 passes for 128 yards for Paloma Valley in Friday's Menifee Bowl.