Foreman beats Taft, clinches Big Shoulders crown

Foreman got all it needed on a quarterback option keeper in the second quarter, as it held on to defeat Taft 7-6 and clinch the Big Shoulders title Thursday at Hanson Stadium.  The conference title marks the first for the Hornets since 2008.

After a sloppy first quarter that saw interceptions on back-to-back plays and a third turnover just two plays later, the Hornets (7-1, 6-0) were able to get momentum off of a recovered Taft fumble. On a third-and-6 play, Foreman quarterback Perrin Groves kept the ball instead of optioning it to his running back and ran 64 yards down the left side to give the Hornets a 7-0 lead at halftime.

“The blocking by the team was really good,’’ Groves said. “They did all the work, I just ran for the score.’’

Midway through the third quarter the Eagles (7-1, 5-1) had first-and-goal from the Foreman 3-yard line, but a sack and two incomplete passes ruined any chance they had to score.

On the next possession for Taft, Javier Chavez’s five-yard run capped a 15-play drive that cut the deficit to 7-6. The Eagles would try a two-point conversion and fail. Chavez finished with 18 carries for 98 yards.

“We played through some adversity with the wind, high snaps, the rain,’’ Foreman coach Peter Grazzini said. “We tried to simulate that in practice but you can never do it like the real thing.’’

Dione Kidd led Foreman with 45 yards rushing on 18 carries.

The conference title clinches a playoff berth for Foreman, its second in a row. Taft now awaits its fate as its playoff bid depends on the Steinmetz result against Amundsen on Friday. If Steinmetz wins and doesn’t allow any points, the Silver Streaks will make the playoffs. A loss or win in which Amundsen scores any points sends Taft back to the state playoffs.

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