Mesa nearly had the game in hand.

With less than 10 seconds on the clock, Mt. San Jacinto (6-1 as of Oct.21) had time for one last play, and they capitalized. The final whistle blew as the ball was brought down by Eagles’ receiver Stephon Mitchell, and carried into the end zone for a back-breaking touchdown.

As the Eagles stormed the field, Mesa players looked on in disbelief. Underdogs, Mesa controlled much of the game, but it wasn’t meant to be.

The Olympians (2-5 through Oct. 21) have suffered a disappointing two game slide after losing at home to Chaffey on Oct. 14, 22-34 and most recently to Mt. San Jacinto on Oct. 21, 32-35.

As game time approached, the Olympians were in a pre-game huddle. They chanted as sophomore defensive back Terrell Totten pumped up his teammates. What time is it? Game time! And what are we going to do? Dominate! The Olympians responded.

Mesa’s defense got things started against Chaffey. Freshman linebacker Eddie Padilla had a sack for a 13-yard loss, and sophomore defensive back Evander Williams had an interception on the second play of the game.

The Olympians had a slow offensive start, as they could not seem to establish a passing game. Sophomore quarterback Kamy Ahmadian took some punishment from the Chaffey defensive line, suffering a sprained ankle that took him out of the game.

Mesa’s offense was stagnate for the first three quarters, as they could not reach the end zone. Freshman kicker Roberto Arca had three field goals to put Mesa on the board.

The Olympians’ defense kept them in the game.

“Last year we kind of gave out during the third and fourth quarter,” sophomore linebacker Dustin Nagy said. “This year we are doing a lot better at keeping the pressure on.”

Late in the game, freshman quarterback Robert Segarian came off the bench to ignite the offense with two touchdowns. Segarian connected with sophomore wide receiver Derick Barkum for a 65-yard touchdown pass. Barkum explodes off the line, allowing him to break free from coverage.

“I use my speed,” Barkum said. “If they jam me I’ll use my hands to brush them off and run right by them.” Barkum has been solid this year. He leads Mesa with 6 touchdowns through Oct. 21.

Segarian then found freshman running back Michael Medina on a draw play. Medina took the ball down field for an 80-yard touchdown.

Mesa was 3 for 3 on fourth down conversions, but it wasn’t enough.

“I just felt like we didn’t come to play,” sophomore defensive lineman Scott Fader said. “You can’t take four quarters to get going. Our defense came out firing. We were put in a few bad situations but we just didn’t capitalize.”

The loss against Chaffey narrowed Mesa’s playoff hopes.

“We gave them some easy touchdowns,” Coach Matt Kofler said. “Our guys don’t quit. We just need more consistency all around. It’s a lack of execution for the most part.”

Mesa had another strong defensive start against the Mt. San Jacinto Eagles on Oct.21. Freshman linebacker Tyler Minium scored on a 73-yard fumble recovery. Sophomore defensive back Tito Jose had a big game with two interceptions for the Olympians. Jose has been prolific thus far. As of Oct. 21 he has 5 interceptions on the season.

Ahmadian recovered from his sprained ankle and connected with Barkum for a 39-yard touchdown pass. Barkum credits much of his success from facing Jose in practice.

“He’s the best overall corner I have ever matched up against,” Barkum said. “He has cover speed, he jams (opponents), and he’s really quick.”

Mesa looked strong on the run, as the offensive line created plenty of holes for the running backs. Anthony Chai led Mesa with 83-yards, and Sophomore Rudy Gonzales broke a tackle for an 18-yard touchdown.

Defensive lineman Cameron Ross had a safety late in the game to put Mesa on top, 25-23.

Mesa got the ball with a chance to put the game out of reach. Ahmadian tried to avoid a sack with a forward lateral, but the ball was picked off and the Eagles’ walked into the end zone. The Eagles were able to convert for two points putting them on top 31-25.

Ahmadian led the Olympians down field. With less than a minute left, Fader was sent in to help the offensive line. Freshman running back Raymond Byrd powered his way in for a 5-yard touchdown, putting Mesa up 32-31 and setting the stage for a possible upset.

The ensuing kickoff went out of bounds giving the Eagles good field position. As the clock wound down, the Hail Mary was in the air. The alarm sounded as Stephon Mitchell caught the ball, a surreal finish with Mt. San Jacinto pulling off a miraculous 35-32 win.

This type of loss can be demoralizing, but the Olympians were already talking about their next game.

Barkum put things in perspective.

“We have got to keep our heads up after a loss like this and finish strong,” he said.