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Palmdale football team holds off Carter to win CIF Southern Section Division 12 title

RIALTO — In a game filled with lunacy, a missed 45-yard field goal as time expired was the difference in the CIF Southern Section Division 12 championship football game, with the Palmdale Falcons taking home their first section title in program history with a 45-43 victory over the Carter Lions.

Carter wide receiver Camren Sullivan pushes off Palmdale defender Isaiah Fulimaono as he scores on a long touchdown pass during the first quarter of the CIF Southern Section Division 12 football championship game at Carter High School in Rialto on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Carter’s Jordan Mckinney (2) makes a large gain to set up a late fourth quarter field goal attempt as Palmdale’s Ny’Jol Williams (55) defends during the CIF Southern Section Division 12 football championship game at Carter High School in Rialto on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Palmdale held on for a 45-43 win after Carter missed a last second field goal to win the game. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

Carter’s Jordan Mckinney (2) makes a large gain to set up a late fourth quarter field goal attempt as Palmdale’s Ryan Conley (54) defends during the CIF Southern Section Division 12 football championship game at Carter High School in Rialto on Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. Palmdale held on for a 45-43 win after Carter missed a last second field goal to win the game. (Photo by Will Lester, Inland Valley Daily Bulletin/SCNG)

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The first half was filled with mistakes and blunders — the two schools combined for nine fumbles, six as turnovers — and costly infractions also led to 191 combined penalty yards.

Despite the mental mistakes, the game remained tight with Palmdale (9-5) holding a 30-27 lead at halftime.

“It was just sloppy,” Falcons head coach Tony Coleman said. “I told the guys offensively, ‘I don’t think they did a good job of stopping us; we did a better job of stopping us offensively.’”

Opposite of the first half, Carter (9-4) played a clean third quarter while taking the lead on a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Jordan McKinney quickly following a fourth-and-8 conversion.

“We just realized we need to (stop making) self-induced mistakes,” Lions head coach Felipe Salas said. “A lot of that was really on us.”

In a two-score swing with just over 7 minutes remaining in the game, Palmdale capitalized on consecutive personal fouls from Carter on fourth downs to take the lead on a 13-yard corner route from Joshua Suarez and pushed their lead to 45-37 on an 30-yard interception return from Paul Turner on the defensive play following the kickoff.

Palmdale had an opportunity to close the game out, but Carter responded by holding the Falcons scoreless from their own 2-yard line.

Two plays later, McKinney found a hole and took the ball 96 yards to put the game within two. On the ensuing 2-point conversion attempt, a receiver in the corner of the end zone dropped a pass that landed in his hands.

Mistakes would prove costly again, with Carter jumping on a forced fumble – the 12th of the game – from their own 35-yard line with 31 seconds remaining.

“I told the defense, ‘It’s on you guys to get out there and make the stop and bring this championship home,’” Coleman said.

Carter drove quickly down field, but a penalty for intentional grounding pushed the ball back to the opposite 43. McKinney got the Lions back in field-goal range on a screen that ended with him running out of bounds with 3 seconds left.

With the wind bustling all night, the 45-yard field goal attempt from Jayden Mendez fell short as time expired, securing the title in Palmdale’s favor, the program’s first in three attempts.

“It’s really tough to come that close and not accomplish your goal,” Salas said. “Give credit to these kids. They fought hard all season and they never quit up until the very last seconds.”

With the victory, Palmdale advances to next week’s CIF State regional playoffs. The Falcons will find out their opponent when pairings are released on Sunday.

A 1994 graduate of Palmdale High School, Coleman could not contain his excitement following Friday’s game with his athletic director, principal and former head coach in attendance – all former Palmdale graduates, as well.

“It means the world to me,” Coleman said. “I’m excited we brought this home. Falcons for life, baby!”