St. Michael's tops Dexter in thrilling 3A title game

SANTA FE — Fortunately for St. Michael’s, Reed Bass played like someone with a very short memory.

One possession after throwing what appeared to be a soul-crushing pick-6, the Horsemen’s senior quarterback calmly led his team on a game-winning drive to capture a thrilling 28-26 victory over No. 2 Dexter (12-1) in the Class 3A championship game on Saturday at Ivan Head Stadium in Santa Fe.

It’s the second consecutive blue trophy for top-seeded St. Michael’s (13-0) and the fifth state title overall for head coach Joey Fernandez.

Prior to Saturday’s championship, no Horsemen opponent had gotten within single digits of them, and the vast majority had fallen by lopsided margins.

“They sold out, and they gave us a game that we hadn’t been in all year long,” Fernandez said of Dexter. “And when they got that interception and took it into the end zone, it kind of broke our back … I told (the team) we don’t need it in one play, so let’s get it slowly. We’ve got a lot of time.”

To set the scene, the Horsemen appeared to be well on their way to an uneventful victory with a 22-8 lead and the ball on the Dexter 2 in the waning seconds of the third quarter. However, a St. Michael’s fumble gave the Demons new life, and Dexter responded with a 66-yard touchdown pass from C.J. Granados to Isaac Ramirez — one that deflected off the hands of a Horsemen defensive back — to cut the deficit to 22-15. Dexter scored again on its next possession, but failed on a two-point conversion, making the score 22-20.

Then, facing second-and-18 on the St. Michael’s 34, Bass threw a screen pass directly into the arms of defensive lineman Fernando Prieto, who rumbled into the end zone to give Dexter a stunning 26-22 advantage with 2:42 remaining in the game.

Bass didn’t spend much time dwelling on the miscue.

“I knew that when I did that, going back to the sideline, I was gonna have to rely on the support of my teammates,” he said. “I was feeling down, but I looked at all of them, and they still had hope in their eyes. I looked at the crowd. The crowd still had hope in their eyes.

“I just knew that in those moments, it’s best to be composed. And I kept telling myself that we had a lot of time. It’s gonna be one play at a time.”

The game-winning 61-yard march was about much more than one play. Bass had to come through in the clutch on multiple occasions: A seven-yard strike to Brandon Meyer on fourth-and-3; a 24-yard floater to Isaiah Dominguez on third-and-8; and perhaps most importantly, a 20-yard screen to Soren Annon on fourth-and-12 with 50 seconds to play.

“With Reed, he’s one of those guys that I’ve trusted since he’s been my quarterback because he always makes good decisions,” Fernandez said. “… He wanted to make sure that he put our team in the situation to win on that last drive. He had a lot of composure, and he just made the passes.”

The aforementioned completion to Annon put the ball on the Dexter 6, and senior running back Cole Sandoval hit paydirt for the winning touchdown on the next play with 35 seconds to go — the final momentum swing in a game full of them.

“I knew that it was gonna be a little bit of a tougher one. Two undefeated teams, can’t get much better than that,” Sandoval said. “… It was a little bit different, but I know that we’re trained to perform under these circumstances. … It’s just what we do, I guess.”

Dexter’s last gasp featured a playground-style lateral sequence that stayed alive longer than it had any right to, but it ultimately fell short, setting off a celebration — and probably a few sighs of relief — on the St. Michael’s sideline.

“They’re all special,” Fernandez said of his five championship victories. “I can’t say one’s better than the other. I’ve been around a lot of great kids, and that’s the reason why I have that many.”

St. Michael's football beats Dexter for 3A championship: Photos