LAKEWOOD — The St. Anthony defense made a critical fourth-down stop during a wild sequence in the final minute of the fourth quarter to hold on and defeat Pacifica 17-14 in the CIF-SS Division 10 semifinal on Friday.

The game was a roller coaster for both teams, filled with numerous penalties, several turnovers, very tough, physical defense, a questionable placement of the football that was ruled a first down and a potential heart-breaking, game-winning touchdown that was ruled out of bounds.

Pacifica (7-6) had an opportunity to take the game from St. Anthony (8-5) in the final two minutes. In a critical fourth-and-10 situation at the Saints 32-yard line, quarterback James Anema completed a pass to receiver Christian Shockley for a 10-yard gain that appeared to be inches short of the first down.

However, after the officials measured with the chains, they ruled it was enough for a first down at the Saints 22.

Then Anema completed a pass to the corner of the end zone that was hauled in by receiver David Carlsson for a seemingly go-ahead touchdown. Once again there was a long discussion by the officials, during which the Mariners received a penalty flag for unsportsmanlike conduct. The officials finally ruled that the pass was incomplete, saying Carlsson was out of bounds on the reception.

The ball was placed at the St. Anthony 37 with seven seconds left. The Saints defense, as it did throughout the game, got two more stops to end the thrilling game.

The Saints will host Silverado of Victorville in the CIF-SS championship game on Saturday.

Saints head coach Jeff Magdaleno spoke about the wild ending and the roller coaster of emotions in those final seconds.

“The lowest of lows to the highest of highs, right?,” Magdaleno said with a smile. “It looked like a simultaneous catch (from Carlsson), seven seconds left. We knew (Pacifica was) going to be in the game until the end…We knew it was going to be a battle to the end.”

The defense won the game for St. Anthony, as it forced five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble recovery) that it converted into 10 points in the first half.

Magdaleno praised the team’s defense for the way it played Friday as well as throughout the season.

“They’ve been our rock all season,” Magdaleno said. “They’ve been unbelievable against the run the entire year. We’ve gotten better against the pass as the season has gone on, but they’ve been our rock. They’ve kept us in games, they’ve won games for us and tonight, just so opportunistic.”

Junior middle linebacker Jeremiah Taufi was a big part of the defensive effort, getting an interception in the first half. On offense, he scored what turned out to be the game-winning touchdown in the third quarter with a 28-yard run.

Taufi said the game came down to desire and preparation.

“It comes down to who really wants it more in the end,” said Taufi, who finished with 77 yards rushing on eight carries. “It all comes down to execution and how you prepared during the week.

“I believed we were the best-prepared team here and we wanted it more. It was a roller coaster of emotions on this night, but I’m glad our guys stayed strong and pushed through to the end.”