San Jacinto football team falls to La Habra in Division 4 title game

MENIFEE — San Jacinto football coach Aric Galliano was ready to ground and pound La Habra in Saturday’s CIF Southern Section Division 4 championship game.

But his friend on the other sideline, Highlanders’ longtime coach Frank Mazzotta, had the bigger horse.

La Habra plowed to a 13-0 lead on its first two possessions and rode the strong legs of junior running back Kevika Mata’Utia-Martinez, who ran for 211 yards and two touchdowns on 35 carries, to a 27-13 victory at HNC Bank Stadium that spoiled the Tigers’ bid for their second football crown in four seasons.

La Habra boasted a balanced attack coming into the contest, amassing an average of 197 yards rushing and 186 passing per game. Saturday, the Highlanders churned up 299 yards on the ground and abandoned the passing game, completing just 4 of 9 attempts.

“I think we were ready for their speed, but it was their physicality,” said Galliano, whose team was making its first championship appearance since winning the Division 6 championship in 2022. “They got after us a little bit, and kudos to them. They had a great game plan.”

Faced with an uphill climb early, the Tigers sprung to life when Jordan Bernard caught a short pass, spun out of the grasp of one defender and juked past another for a 29-yard gain. Darting runs by Jomini Ransom advanced the ball to the La Habra 13, but quarterback Josue Estrada’s fourth-down pass sailed over Daishaun Davis out of the end zone.

San Jacinto’s disappointment was short-lived, however. Kingslee Tivao stripped the ball from La Habra’s Bobby Brooks on the next series, and Shawn Gresham pounced on the fumble at the La Habra 42. Four plays later, Bernard made a great adjustment on his pass route and snagged an 8-yard pass from Estrada for a touchdown with 4:06 remaining in the half, cutting the Highlanders’ lead to 13-7.

In the second half, senior safety Jeremiah Brown intercepted a pass to end La Habra’s first drive. But after forcing a turnover on downs, the Highlanders marched 12 plays, consuming 6:46 off the clock, to take a 20-7 lead on Mata’Utia-Martinez’s 7-yard run.

San Jacinto was intercepted on its next possession, and La Habra bled 4:27 off the clock with an eight-play drive that was capped by Brooks’ 2-yard touchdown run and a 27-7 lead.

Senior Jeremiah Brown had a 12-yard run for a touchdown with less than a minute remaining for the Tigers’ final points.

Ransom gained 97 yards on 13 carries for San Jacinto (10-4), who saw its seven-game win streak – including three overtime victories in the playoffs – come to an end. Estrada completed 14 of 23 passes for 132 yards, with Davis hauling in eight passes for 67 yards.

“My kids played hard,” said Galliano, whose squad competed in the Division 2 playoffs in the 2024 campaign. “I’m proud of our group, fighting the entire year for this spot.

“We’ve got to get them healthy, get back in the weight room, finish the semester and make sure they have good grades,” Galliano said. “And I think we sent our seniors off the right way. Moving forward we’ve got to start working toward next year.”