Blog: Chargers Win Thriller Against Calabasas on Homecoming Night

At first Richard Poutier tried to explain away his teams' - and his own - last minute heroics with humor and mystique.

"I guess it's the power of the powder blue jerseys," he said after the Chargers defeated Calabasas, 41-38, Friday night at Agoura High School.

Like in the season opening win against Oak Park, the Agoura football team wore their lighter blue jerseys than the usual blue uniform tops, on homecoming night last Friday against the Coyotes.

Really, though, the last minute drive that Poutier engineered - which came shortly after he had thrown what appeared to be a game-changing interception that was returned for a touchdown by Calabasas - was more about faith than superstition.

Matt Guttridge picked off Poutier's pass and ran it for a 38-yard score with just less than three minutes left in the game to give the Coyotes a 38-34 lead.

It looked as if Calabasas would finally end the hex that Agoura has held over the Coyotes since 1998, the last time they beat the Chargers.

However, Poutier told his teammates that there was still time to come back and win the game and he had every intention of making amends for his miscue.

"(Poutier) was very calm and he realized, 'Hey, I made a mistake, but we've still got a chance to win it, and we're going to do it,'" said Agoura head coach Charlie Wegher. "So he was very resilient and I was real proud of him for that."

Poutier tried to impart his confidence and the Chargers, though shaken, followed his lead.

"It was very scary," said Shawn Kagan, who was the recipient of the 5-yard pass from Poutier that won the game with 11 seconds left. "I was still believing, but it was so scary. But we couldn't stop believing."

On the final drive, the Chargers converted three fourth downs, including one that came after what appeared to be a fourth down pass for a first down.

Instead, it was called back because of a holding penalty. But on fourth and 20, Poutier hit Kevin Adams, a junior wide receiver, on a 24-yard completion for a first down.

During a timeout just prior to Adams' reception, the Chargers talked about what play to run on one of the several that could have lost the game if not executed perfectly.

"We talked about what play they wanted to call," Wegher said. "We had three or four things we discussed. Then we decided that we'd settle on that one and it worked."

Calabasas was called for pass interference on a Poutier incompletion to Andrew Costin (see the third photograph by Brad Hochberg), which set Agoura up at the 5-yard line. Costin is a senior wide receiver.

On the next play, Poutier and Kagan hooked up for a pass play that they will always remember and might even tell their grandkids about.

"It's what we practice," Kagan said about the entire final drive. "We executed perfectly. We did everything right and we just believed. We once again believed."

Wegher praised his players for never giving up, despite seeing a first half 21-0 lead disappear and then giving away a lead of 34-17 by allowing three touchdowns in a row to the Coyotes in the fourth quarter.

"We had to drive 80 yards with two timeouts left and we had to convert three fourth downs," he said right after the game. "These guys, they just never quit."

On Sunday, he reiterated the point: "I could look in their eyes and see they didn't have any quit in them," Wegher said about the final timeout. "They were ready to give it their best shot on that fourth and 20."

Wegher said he is happy that Poutier will be able to remember his final game against Calabasas for the TD pass he threw, not the interception that preceded it.

"That play (the Guttridge pick) would have given them the win if we didn't come back and finish the way we did," he said. "And that would have been something (Poutier) would have had to remember from homecoming his senior year.

"I'm glad that now he's got a memory of a winning drive."

Kagan caught Poutier's 27-yard pass for a touchdown on the last play of regulation against Oak Park in the season opener. That touchdown allowed the Chargers to win the game in overtime.

"(Kagan) did it against Oak Park," Wegher said. "Then he got the chance to do it again in this game. He's been tough and he's always been a guy that is at practice working hard and being a leader.

"It's just nice to see him get in the spotlight."

Sean Bar, a junior running back, ran for 174 yards and three touchdowns in the win, which improved Agoura to 3-6 overall. It was the Chargers first win - they are 1-3 - in the Marmonte League West Division.

It also gave them at least one more year of bragging rights around the neighboring towns of Agoura Hills and Calabasas. And it added a highlight reel to their game films and to their memories. 

"That's something they'll remember for the rest of their lives," Wegher said. "That kind of deal - it doesn't happen all the time. It's special."