The Wolverines beat the Monsoons 13-12 advancing to the second round of the CIF Southern Section playoffs.

Alex Barnum ’16 played a key role in stopping Mayfair’s passing attack, coming up with two key interceptions.

During a early second-half drive, Barnum recovered a fumble and returned it to the Mayfair 3-yard line. The Wolverines’ offense failed to convert this opportunity when Noah Rothman ’16 fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line.

The first three quarters the Wolverines remained scoreless trailing by six. Late in the fourth quarter, Rothman connected with junior receiver Zac Harleston ’17 for a 23-yard gain. Harleston broke several tackles on his way to the 3-yard line. Rothman threw a 3-yard pass to Cameron Jones ’18  for the first Wolverine touchdown in the game. Josh Lyons ’17 succesfully converted the PAT to put the Wolverines up 7-6.

On Mayfair’s subsequent drive,  the Monsoons run game dominated the Wolverines, and the Mayfair running back punched the ball in to bring the score to 12-7.

With only 3 minutes left in the game, the Wolverines had a huge momentum-building kickoff return brought back due to a 10-yard penalty. This stuck the Wolverines deep in their own territory on their own 6-yard line. With the odds stacked against them, Rothman connected with Jones, who took the ball 94 yards for a Wolverine touchdown. The Wolverines attempted to go the 2-pt conversion, but Eric Bradley ’16 was tackled short of the end zone.

The Monsoons quickly responded with the run game, marching down to the Wolverine 30-yard line. A botched snap count resulted in a Mayfair fumble that was scooped up by Nick Tatham ’18. Rothman kneeled three times to bring the game to a close. The Wolverines won their first playoff game 13-12 only weeks after losing an Angelus League title-clinching game to Cathedral 13-12.

The Wolverines will host the La Serna Lancers next Friday for the second round of CIF-SS playoffs.