PASADENA — With Muir’s season hanging in the balance, the Mustangs put everything on the shoulders and legs of senior quarterback Keyon Mills. It was a moment he delivered in dramatic fashion. Mills kept the ball for a 7-yard touchdown run on fourth-and-goal with just 18 seconds left to give Muir a thrilling 22-19 come-from-behind win over Schurr in the first round of the CIF Southern Section Division 6 playoffs on Friday night.
Muir (9-2) will have a rematch next week against St. Francis in the quarterfinals in La Canada. St. Francis defeated Calabasas 50-22. Muir defeated St. Francis 28-18 in early September. That sparked Muir’s nine-game winning streak after starting 0-2. St. Francis has won four of its last five games after starting 0-6.
“I just want to thank the Lord first and foremost to allow me to be in this position,” said Mills. “I’m just glad that we’re able to see another week and practice with my guys.”
Muir grabbed a 15-13 lead following a 27-yard field early in the fourth quarter by kicker Jacob Hernandez. But Schurr stormed down the field in 12 plays to take a 19-15 lead with 4:29 remaining when running back Elias Navarro scored on a three-yard touchdown run. It was his third touchdown of the game. The 2-point conversion pass though failed.
Schurr squibbed kicked but Dre Arnold grabbed it before it could bounce too far. He returned the kick 16 yards for the Schurr 44. Mills led the Mustangs down to the Schurr 10 with just 53 seconds left for a first-and-goal.
The first down pass to Zion McDonald went for no gain. That kept the clock running. Mills then spiked the ball with 30 seconds left. It was then third-and-goal. He kept the ball and ran for just three yards. A timeout was called to set up the fourth-and-goal play.
Mills got the call to keep the ball. He took the snap in the shotgun on the left hash. He ran right and sprinted toward the end zone. He was tackled and just got the ball across the goal line for a touchdown to give Muir a 22-19 lead.
Mills completed 12 of 17 passes for 97 yards. Running back Alijah Parker rushed for 118 yards on 11 carries for Muir. He also added a 73-yard touchdown.
Schurr had one last shot at a miracle. But a backwards lateral on the kickoff was fumbled thanks to a hard hit by Christian Moore. That put the ball on the Schurr 1 with 9 seconds left. The time ran out after two plays.
Schurr was led by Navarro. He rushed for 163 yards on 37 carries. Navarro often looked unstoppable.
It looked like Muir would run away from the Spartans early. The Mustangs got the ball to open the game and promptly scored Parker took a handoff and cut left down the sideline for a 73-yard touchdown on the game’s fourth play. Muir led 6-0 after the extra point try failed due to a mishandled snap.
Muir took a 12-0 lead later in the first quarter on its second possession. The Mustangs used a mix of runs and passes to march 62 yards down the field in nine plays. The scoring drive ended when Cole Cogshell took a handoff and plunged one yard into the end zone. The two-point conversion pass failed.
Schurr cut the Muir lead to 12-7 with 3:52 left before halftime when Navarro scored his first touchdown. It was a five-yard run that ended an 8-play, 61-yard drive. It was a drive in which Navarro carried the ball on seven running plays.
Mills couldn’t handle the snap on Muir’s next play and lost the ball. It was recovered by Joshua Picazo at the Muir 34. Schurr ran down the clock with runs and scored when Navarro darted through the middle for a 19-yard touchdown run to give Schurr a 13-12 lead with just 49 seconds before halftime.