You won’t believe the finish! How Clovis West beat Buchanan in Nos. 1-2 showdown
The third matchup of The Bee’s top two ranked high school football teams this season turned out to be the best.
After a wild back-and-forth in the final minute, No. 2 Clovis West beat No. 1 Buchanan 29-22 at Lamonica Stadium on Friday night.
“Unbelievable,” Clovis West coach Eric Brown said. “Just the resolve of these kids to keep fighting and keep battling, and it says a lot about Buchanan and their program, too, because they fought back with a minute left and scored. And then we came down and got it done in the end and then had to make a stop. They kept battling and I’m so proud of these guys.”
The Bears had defended their top spot in The Bee’s Top 25 against No. 2 teams twice, winning at Liberty-Bakersfield and San Joaquin Memorial in a 5-0 start heading into Tri-River Athletic Conference play.
But the Golden Eagles were impressive in a 5-0 start of their own, setting up the dynamic TRAC-opening matchup that many believe could be reprised when the Central Section Division I championship game is played Thanksgiving weekend.
Buchanan took a 22-21 lead with 56.3 seconds remaining, scoring on Michael Runnels’ 23-yard run to cap an improbable 99-yard, 10-play drive.
Clovis West didn’t hang its head — especially after Buchanan was hit with two unsportsmanlike penalties costing it 30 yards of field position. Ryan Markarian connected with Marshel Sanders for a 40-yard touchdown and Mychal Crawford intercepted Fresno State commit Jayden Mandal with 35 seconds remaining to clinch the win.
“I knew we had a chance, even if we started (at the) 25. I knew we had a chance,” Markarian said.
“But once they moved it up, I told my guys they messed up, it’s over. We’re going to win this game.”
This story was originally published September 30, 2022 at 10:52 PM.
