Paraclete Plays a Successful Encore

LANCASTER — Simply the best.

Those were the lyrics of the celebratory Tina Turner song played over the public address system Saturday night after Paraclete High defeated Kilpatrick, 25-14, to win the Southern Section Division XII football title at Antelope Valley College.

Simply the best, two years in a row, for the victory gave the Spirits (13-1) a division title for the second consecutive season and a 26-2 record during the 1997-98 campaigns. Paraclete captured the Division XI championship last season.

Kilpatrick (8-6) closed the season with a 7-2 run. Both losses came to Paraclete, its Alpha League rival.

The standout was tailback Michael Washington of Paraclete, who rushed for 62 yards and a touchdown in 13 carries and returned the second half kickoff for an 88-yard touchdown that gave the Spirits a 22-8 lead.

Kilpatrick used its double wing-T offense to rush for 271 yards and two touchdowns, but was hurt by mistakes and a questionable choice by Coach Sid Ware late in the first half.

On that call, Ware elected to go for a first down with the Mustangs facing fourth and two at their 20-yard line and clinging to an 8-6 lead.

A run failed and Paraclete scored with 1:17 remaining in the half, taking a 14-8 lead on Curtis Brown’s one-yard run and a conversion pass from Rob Fockaert to Jordan Aquino.

“I thought about that call later and it was a bad coaching decision,” said a tearful Ware as Paraclete celebrated around him after the game.

“I was gonna punt but then I thought we could get it.”

Coach Steve Hagerty of Paraclete sympathized with Ware.

“I expected them to [go for the first down],” he said. “They’re confident in their running game and why not, they were moving the ball.”

Paraclete had control of the game after Washington’s score on the second-half kickoff but the Mustangs fought back, turning Jesse Lucatero’s second interception of the game into an eventual 12-yard touchdown run by Kevin White with 11:21 to play.

However, any Kilpatrick hopes for a comeback died when Paraclete drove 72 yards in 14 plays and scored on a 22-yard John McMurtry field goal with 5:34 remaining.

Josh White of Kilpatrick carried 18 times for 126 yards and two touchdowns. Ray Gomez completed three of six passes for 22 yards and had a pass intercepted.

Fockaert completed five of nine passes for 70 yards and had two passes intercepted.

Brown rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown in 19 carries.