Saugus Finally Beats Canyon, 26-17

Let the cheers ring throughout the Santa Clarita Valley: The drought is over.

Saugus High defeated hometown rival Canyon for the first time in 11 years Friday night, 26-17, in a Foothill League game at College of the Canyons.

With arms raised, Saugus’ second-year coach, Jack Bowman, roamed the sidelines hugging and showering praise on his charges before and after they doused him with the obligatory bucket of ice water. “We did it! Saugus wins! We did it!” the elated Bowman exclaimed after Jibri Hodge’s interception of a Canyon pass with 55 seconds to play.

“They were tough as hell, but so were we,” Bowman said.

The win is the Centurions’ first over the Cowboys since a 31-13 victory in 1981. Saugus, a perennial also-ran before the exuberant Bowman arrived, almost defeated Canyon last season. However, the Centurions missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt in the waning seconds of the Cowboys’ 16-14 win.

Saugus senior quarterback Bobby Cowan, who entered the game as the fourth-rated passer among area Southern Section quarterbacks, completed eight of 10 passes for 244 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions.

Saugus took a 20-17 lead on a 44-yard touchdown pass from Cowan to Bobby Rodriguez (four catches, 140 yards, two touchdowns) late in the third quarter. A 27-yard touchdown run by James Walker provided the Centurions with their final points with five minutes to play.

“This is big, I mean this is the best feeling I’ve ever had,” said Cowan, who was 7 years old the last time Saugus defeated Canyon. “This game was so important to us. We finally got it.”

In addition to boosting morale at Saugus, the win puts the Centurions (6-1-1, 2-1), ranked fourth in The Times’ regional poll, and the Cowboys (6-2, 2-1), ranked seventh, in a tie for second in the league behind undefeated Hart (8-0, 2-0).

Canyon took its only lead, 17-14, with 7 minutes 21 seconds left in the third quarter on running back Chad Brown’s one-yard touchdown run.

Canyon’s Ed Williams ran for 101 yards.

Saugus scored touchdowns on both of its first-quarter possessions and held a 14-10 halftime lead.