Glendora football coach Brandon Rohrer thought his team’s season was about to get away when it trailed Rancho Verde 13-0 during Friday’s CIF-SS Division 6 quarterfinals.

“Our defense was keeping us in it, we were in some bad spots. The game could have been 21-0 or 27-0,” Rohrer said.

Rohrer sensed a change was needed, so he opted to replace freshman quarterback Sebastian Lawrence with sophomore Brandon Coronado, and Coronado’s first throw was an 80-yard TD pass to Tim Johnson.

That play sparked a momentum switch.

Coronado finished the game, and he used his legs to rush for 80 yards and two scores and passed for nearly 100 yards as the Tartans scored 31 consecutive points to beat Rancho Verde 31-13.

This week Glendora (8-4) will be home in Friday’s semifinals against Dana Hills (10-2) at Citrus College. Dana Hills knocked off San Dimas 38-35 last week with a last-minute field goal.

Brandon Coronado and his brother, senior Austin Coronado, who is a linebacker/running back committed to Columbia University, both transferred to Glendora from Damien over the summer. Austin Coronado has been an impact player on both sides of the ball.

Brandon Coronado started out as the backup QB to Lawrence, and found his way on to the field in other roles to help the Tartans. Plus, he stayed ready at QB in case he was called on.

“He kept working at it,” Rohrer said of Brandon Coronado. “He gives us some mobility in the pocket, can make plays with his arms and his feet.”

Will Brandon Coronado start on Friday?

“I think that’s the plan,” Rohrer said.

Glendora’s success in the playoffs has the entire program feeling confident. The team was hammered by Chino Hills, Northview, Bonita and Charter Oak during the regular season. But the football playoffs can change narratives quickly, and the Tartans are proof of that.

If they win Friday, they’re already guaranteed to host the championship game.

Rohrer said when things looked bleak, especially after the big losses to area teams, he stayed in their ear.

“We told our kids to continue to stay the course, continue to come to work, that we’re a good football team, and that our staff believed in them,” Rohrer said. “We’ve had some tough losses, and we were down 13-0 (in the quarterfinals), but our kids were resilient. We’ll go out and try to get another one (win) on Friday.”

SAN GABRIEL HOPING FOR REPEAT OF 2022

Adam Mascorro and Louie Navarro were freshmen on San Gabriel’s CIF-SS Division 13 championship team in 2022. Now they are juniors, both two-way standouts, and are hoping to lead the team back to the finals.

Mascorro ran for three touchdowns and Navarro ran for two scores in a 41-35 victory over Costa Mesa in the Division 14 quarterfinals.

The Matadors will have a home game against Duarte (11-1) on Friday in the semifinals, giving them a chance to play for their second title in three seasons.

“This team is very similar to the 2022 team that found its groove late in the season,” said Matadors head coach Marcus Galvan, who was an assistant coach on the 2022 team. “We had over 250 yards rushing against Costa Mesa. Mascorro and Navarro have been big. They’re both linebackers too, but they’ve been in games like this.”

San Gabriel quarterback Efren Torres broke his collarbone in the team’s final league game, but Ricky Garcia has stepped in and done a good job of managing the offense.