Mariners Upset Saints 42-28, Move to Div. III Semifinals

Mar Vista High battled back from 14-0 and 21-13 first-half deficits to stun second-seeded St. Augustine in the San Diego Section Division III quarterfinals Friday night at Mesa College, putting the Mariners just one win away from a title game at Qualcomm Stadium.

To get there, Mar Vista (11-1) will have to beat a fellow South Bay team, third-seeded Olympian (8-3), which routed Serra 49-7 on Friday. The semifinal game will be Thursday at 7 p.m. on the Olympian field.

Against the Saints, Mar Vista fell behind 14-0 before Jimmie Hill's 66-yard touchdown run and a 1-yard scoring pass from Jordan Lertique to Brandon Luc pulled the Mariners to within a point at 14-13 early in the second quarter.

But a 99-yard kickoff return by Nicholas Gonsalves, his third touchdown of the game, enabled the Saints to build a 21-13 lead. Mar Vista stormed back to grab a 28-21 lead at the half on a 7-yard scoring run by Lertique and a 29-yard interception return by Landon Clark.

Hill added a 42-yard scoring run in the third quarter for a 35-21 advantage before the Saints again closed within a touchdown, but the Mariners put it away on a 4-yard TD run by Keevin Moore late in the quarter.

The Saints (9-2) had won their first nine games before a loss to Cathedral Catholic in the regular-season finale.

"We had a lot of doubters," said Lertique after the big win. "We were the underdogs for sure, but we got it done."