HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL ROUNDUP : Montclair Prep Keeps Its Poise, Perfect Record

Question: When in 1989 has the outcome of a Montclair Prep football game come down to an onside kick with barely a minute left?

Answer: Never.

That is, of course, before Saturday night’s emotional contest with Alpha League rival Village Christian at Pierce College.

This one, in fact, did come down to an onside kick. But the Mounties recovered the ball, smothering an upset bid by the courageous Crusaders, 28-20, to complete the regular season with a flawless 10-0 mark heading into the Division IX playoffs.

“I’m proud of my kids,” Village Christian Coach Mike Plaisance said. “I’m never happy with a loser, but I couldn’t ask for a better game.”

That he couldn’t. Although Montclair Prep led at halftime, 14-12, Mark Vail (12 of 23, 177 yards), the Crusaders’ sophomore quarterback, had picked apart a flustered Mountie secondary, and eyebrows were being raised.

The Mounties, though, as they have all year, went to their strengths--Michael Jones, who finished with 149 yards in 23 carries and one touchdown, and Derek Sparks, who came back from a neck injury at halftime to finish with 158 yards in 14 carries. Sparks scored with just 5:47 left to give Montclair Prep a 28-12 lead.

Ever the competitor, Vail, who ran for one touchdown and threw for two more, marched Village Christian 58 yards in four plays, capping the drive with a nine-yard touchdown pass to Mark Bates with just 1:11 left to account for the final score.

The onside kick followed and Montclair Prep had its victory. The only question left for Village Christian (5-5, 2-3), which headed home for the season: Do moral victories count?