Cate quarterback Will Bouma connected with Ethan Ligon with 47 seconds left for a 19-yard score to break a 34-34 tie with Faith Baptist and deliver a thrilling 42-34 win for the Rams.
Then Cate’s Mason Oetgen sealed matters with an interception with 17 seconds left.
The late score answered Faith Baptist’s tying touchdown moments before, and was Bouma’s sixth TD pass of the day.
“We demonstrated a whole lot of heart — corazón, as we call it —after Faith Baptist scored” the tying touchdown and two-point conversion, Cate coach Ben Soto said.
The Rams, now 6-0 and ranked No. 1 in CIF-SS eight-man Division 1, next face a showdown at Mt. Pinos League rival Thacher — ranked No. 2 and also undefeated — next Saturday.
Faith Baptist is ranked No. 2 in Division 2.
The tie-breaking TD pass Bouma’s third to Ligon. The others were to fellow seniors Matty Holmes and two to Mason Oetgen. All are seniors.
Bouma’s success “means the O line of Junior Jack Whelan, junior Charlie Patel, freshmen Mack Nieman did their job up front, while junior Zaq Asuamah and sophomore Kristian Scurtis did theirs from the running back position,” Soto said.
“So proud of the team, for their effort (corazón) all the way to the end, and my coaches for adjustments that we had to make to pull this win out,” he added.