ORANGE — The game-clinching drive by the Villa Park football team on Friday night probably won’t fit in a time capsule, but it deserves a special place in program history.
The Spartans beat Millikan 28-21 in a CIF-SS Division 3 first-round game after unleashing an 18-play, 80-yard drive that started late in the third quarter and ended with Dominic Ancich’s go-ahead, 2-yard touchdown run with 1:49 remaining at El Modena High.
Villa Park (10-1) then had to survive a final drive by the Rams, which culminated with an incomplete pass from the Spartans 16-yard line as time expired.
“We needed to play good defense at some point in our life,” Villa Park coach Dusan Ancich said.
Millikan (7-4) was short on a 41-yard field goal attempt in the final minutes of the third quarter, leaving the game tied 21-21.
The Spartans took over at their 20 and faced three fourth-down situations on the ensuing drive, moving the chains each time.
On fourth-and-5 from the Millikan 26 with 3 minutes left, Ancich sent out field goal kicker Emiliano Salazar, who had missed a 40-yard field goal just before halftime.
During a timeout, Anich changed his mind and sent his offense back on the field. Nate Lewis then completed a short jump pass over the middle to tight end Jeremiah Leftwich and he scampered 21 yards for a first down at the Millikan 5.
Two plays later, Ancich powered his way into the end zone for a 28-21 lead.
“We’ve got to get off the field,” Millikan coach Romeo Pellum said. “We’ve just got to win on third and fourth down.”
Lewiss completion to Leftwich on fourth down was made more challenging because the Spartans had attempted only eight passes through that point of the game.
“You practice that stuff and you kind of build confidence,” Dusan Ancich said. ” That’s kind of the reason we won the game.”
Villa Park benefited from a stronger run game from the start.
Carter Christie rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries and scored two touchdowns, all while playing linebacker as well.
Ancich, the son of Dusan Ancich, added 96 yards on 18 carries and scored the other two touchdowns.
“He’s a little bulldozer,” Ancich said of his son. “Tonight was really going to be about our running backs because we knew we wanted to emphasize running the ball.”
The Rams didn’t waste any time taking a 7-0 lead on a 50-yard touchdown catch by USC-bound receiver Ryan Pellum on the opening drive of the game.
Pellum, the younger brother of Romeo Pellum, finished with 10 catches for 121 yards and the touchdown.
Villa Park also scored on its first drive on a 1-yard run by Ancich.
Both teams also scored on their second possessions as well.
Jayden Rapp scored on a 4-yard run to move Millikan ahead 14-6.
Christie followed with a 4-yard touchdown run scamper and a two-point run by Lewis tied it 14-14.
Villa Park forced the first punt by Millikan and the Spartans then moved ahead 21-14 on a 13-yard run by Christie with 4:02 left in the half.
Xavier Jones tied it up again 21-21 when he scored on an 11-yard run with 1:41 left in the half.
Those would be the final points for the Rams, however.
“To have a shutout against that athletic of a team in a half is pretty special,” Ancich said.
