Tustin Comes Up Short Against Bishop Amat

Two yards were all that separated Tustin from upsetting the top-ranked team in the Southern Section Division I on its home field. Four plays later, it wouldn’t have mattered if it were two inches.

La Puente Bishop Amat’s defense stood its ground late in the fourth quarter and held on to defeat the Tillers, 17-13, in a nonleague game Friday at Bishop Amat High.

After taking over on their 36-yard line with 2 minutes 40 seconds remaining in the third quarter, the Tillers (1-2) ate up the rest of that quarter and much of the fourth, setting up first and goal on the two. But Mike Zill, David Miller and Ivin Jones were each stopped for one-yard losses.

Branden Malcom’s last gasp on fourth down could muster only three yards, and the Lancers (2-0) took over on downs to run out the clock.

Despite a nine-inch height difference between Tustin wide receiver Chris Chatman (6-5) and Bishop Amat defensive back Marlon Thomas (5-8), Tustin Coach Myron Miller never seriously considered anything but the run.

“You know, when I saw that little short guy on my receiver I thought, maybe I should throw,” Miller said. “But we are a running team and if we can’t get in from the two on four plays, we don’t deserve to win the game.”

Miller also lamented his team’s three first-half fumbles, each immediately followed by a scoring drive for the Lancers.

Tustin’s vaunted running game was limited to 141 yards, 59 by Malcom in 17 carries.

Tustin jumped to a 7-0 lead three minutes into the game after Matt McCoy blocked a Bishop Amat punt, setting up Zill’s six-yard touchdown run. Bishop Amat scored the next 17 points before Malcom scored on a one-yard run with 2:06 remaining in the half.