Raul Lara Went for Two Because Overtime Was the Riskier Bet

Mater Dei's 36–35 win over St. John Bosco came down to one coaching decision. It was the right one, and it wasn't close.

By Cole Prentiss | RepMax Media

Raul Lara made the correct call Friday night, and anyone who says he gambled has the risk backward.

With 7.5 seconds left, freshman Tristan Brown caught a 12-yard touchdown from freshman quarterback Paytyn Guess to pull Mater Dei within 35–34 of St. John Bosco at Santa Ana Stadium. A kick sends it to overtime. Lara sent his offense back out instead. Sophomore tight end Tyler Fritz ran a wheel route, juggled the throw and held on. Mater Dei 36, Bosco 35.

The highlight shows a coach rolling the dice. The game film shows a coach picking the better of two odds. Here's why.

1. Overtime meant handing the ball to the best offense on the field

Bosco outgained Mater Dei 490 yards to 315. Junior quarterback Koa Malau'ulu finished 26 of 35 for 365 yards with three touchdown passes and a rushing score. His offense had scored 21 unanswered points in the second half.

Before its final rally, Mater Dei's offense had 37 yards on 15 second-half plays.

Overtime starts both teams at the same spot and lets each offense trade possessions. That format rewards whoever has been moving the ball. For two quarters, that was Bosco, by a mile. Kicking the extra point would have kept Mater Dei alive, but it also would have given Malau'ulu a fresh, short field to work with.

2. The hot hand belonged to Mater Dei for exactly one more snap

Mater Dei's comeback came on three throws: a 55-yard touchdown to Gavin Honore with 3:26 left, a 49-yard completion to Brown on the first snap of the final drive, and the 12-yard score. A freshman quarterback had just completed the three biggest throws of his young career in about three minutes.

Momentum doesn't carry over into an overtime period. A timeout, a coin flip and a reset give the other sideline time to adjust. Lara spent the hot hand while it still existed. One snap, three yards, the whole game. That's a cleaner bet than asking a freshman to beat Bosco's defense again from scratch.

3. What the call tells a young roster

Mater Dei's three game-winning plays came from a freshman quarterback, a freshman receiver and a sophomore tight end. The Fritz catch was his only reception of the night.

This point is my opinion, labeled as such: the decision matters past Friday. Lara told a roster full of underclassmen that he trusts them with the season on one play. Guess won the job earlier this season, after Lara had cycled through three quarterbacks. Programs build on nights like this one.

The Takeaway

Going for two looks bold when it works and reckless when it fails. Judge the decision by the alternative, not by the result. Lara's alternative was overtime against an offense that had owned the second half. He took the shorter path, and his players finished it.

What's Next

Mater Dei closes the regular season 8–2 and 4–1 in the Trinity League, good for second place behind champion Santa Margarita. The Monarchs earned the No. 3 seed in the Southern Section Division 1 playoffs and host Corona Centennial in the quarterfinals. Bosco, now 7–3 and the No. 4 seed, hosts Orange Lutheran. The two rivals landed on opposite sides of the bracket, so a rematch can only happen in the section final.

Mater Dei now leads the all-time series 34–13 and has won five straight.

Your call: Would you have kicked it and played for overtime, or gone for two like Lara? Tell us in the comments, and follow the Division 1 bracket all postseason on RepMax Media.

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