Taft Gets a Bootleg Out of Alvarado, 28-7

WOODLAND HILLS — It was shades of Nick DiPadova, only a heck of a lot slower.

Taft High quarterback Steve Alvarado scored on a two-yard bootleg midway through the fourth quarter for the go-ahead touchdown to help spark the Toreadors to a 28-7 victory over Palisades in a City Section 4-A quarterfinal game Wednesday night at Taft High.

The top-seeded Toreadors (11-0) will play Sylmar in a semifinal on Dec. 5.

Unlike DiPadova, a mobile quarterback who scored 19 times running the ball for Taft last season, the bootleg was the first carry by Alvarado all season that wasn’t a sack, fumble or kneel-down.

Facing third-and-goal from the Palisades two, Alvarado faked a handoff and ran toward the left corner of the end zone, barely getting his hand and the ball into the end zone before he was stopped by Michael Akelate.

“I didn’t know what to think when they called it,” Alvarado said. “I just knew I was going to get in.”

It gave Taft a 14-7 lead and energized the entire team.

Three plays into Palisades’ next possession, Carlos Flores’ pass slipped through the hands of a receiver and was intercepted by Sedric Hurns, who returned it to the Palisades 45.

Six plays later, Alvarado hit Hurns on a 22-yard scoring pass to extend the lead to 21-7.

The Dolphins last gasp ended when the 260-pound Flores fumbled when hit from behind by Larry Jones and Eric Griffin recovered for Taft. Marquis Brignac added a 28-yard insurance touchdown with a minute left.

Taft fumbled twice in the first half, the second leading to a 11-yard scoring pass from Flores to Ryan Hilst.

Eighth-seeded Palisades (10-2) caught a major break when Taft was called for roughing the kicker after Daniel Szew missed a 41-yard field goal attempt on fourth and 25 early in the fourth quarter. Palisades got a first down at the Taft 12.

But two plays later, a errant pitch from Flores to Larry Williams was recovered by Taft’s Tyler Brennan.

“I want to win [the City 4-A title] so bad, more than anything,” Brennan said. “We just had to do something.”

Alvarado finally got Taft going, hitting Dominic Early on pass plays of 48 and 32 yards, setting up Alvarado’s run.

Alvarado completed nine of 20 passes for 202 yards and one touchdown.

The Toreadors held Williams, one of the City’s best tailbacks, to 70 yards in 24 carries.