Last Chance Field Goal Attempt Fails as CV Varsity Football Loses to Muir, 21-18.

Looking for their second win of the season wasn't easy for new Coach Bill Irace and his Crescenta Valley Falcons, but it could not have come any closer for the Pacific League contenders who lost to host Pasadena Muir after coming from behind to tie only to lose on a failed field goal with only two seconds left last Friday night, 21-18.

Irace, in only his second game as coach, taking over from the departed veteran coach Alan Eberhart, did not need to speak in his post game interview with the press. His expression of nearly getting the first CV varsity victory of his career, told the whole story.

Muir got things going quickly, only four minutes into the contest, when tailback Willie Youngblood scored on a 22-yard touchdown that was followed by a failed extra point attempt by Daniel De La Torre that gave the Mustangs a 6-0 lead at the conclusion of the first quarter.

The Falcons' first real drive nearly succeeded when kicker Rana Pasanj missed a 13-yard field goal. However, Muir counterattacked with a 20-yard TD pass from quarterback Lance Mitchell to Wendell Jackson to extend the Mustangs lead to 12-0 as de La Torre once again missed the extra point.

Muir, on its next possession, jumped out to an 18-0 lead courtesy of Mitchell, who ran in his first TD of the evening with only eight seconds left in the first half. With De La Torre going 0 for 2, the Mustangs tried a two point attempt but failed as both teams broke for halftime.

The third quarter was a big break for the Falcons as Muir suffered many penalties that turned the game around for CV. Eric Eberhardt scored from one yard out to make the score 18-6, as the point after bug hit Crescenta Valley, with only 2:54 left in the quarter.

Problems continued for the Mustangs in the final quarter as they reverted to their shotgun offense, which resulted in errors from misjudged snaps that turned the ball over deep inside Falcons' territory.

Within a matter of three minutes, the Falcons tied up the game, 18-18 as two punts were blocked and recovered for touchdowns by Eberhardt and Rapler Helin, respectively, and the point after attempts were no good with 9:27 left in the contest.