INLAND FIELDHOUSE

I covered the Redlands-Fontana Miller varsity football game for The Press-Enterprise on Thursday, Nov. 10, 2011, and came away thinking Miller snatched defeat from the jaws of victory.

The Rebels led 14-0 after the first quarter at home. How much more is there to be written about that?

Sure, it’s a long game and anything can happen but if you’re ever sported a two-score lead, in your house, a team should win that game. Disagree?

Redlands got on the scoreboard right as Craig Lee started getting to the second level of Miller’s defense and punishing defensive backs. He scored twice in as span of a little more than one minute in the second quarter.

Lee had 4-out-of-5 carries on the Terriers’ third drive, a 17-yard and 31-yard carry highlighted by a 9-yard run to the end zone that gave the team its first points. Then, after on onside kick that was recovered by junior DL Tien Mrotek (5-11, 189), Lee ran for 46 yards and a touchdown on his third carry of the three-play drive.

Miller answered in the third quarter snd took the lead, 20-19, but it was short-lived when Redlands scored on its ensuing drive, a 36-yard pass from junior Jimmy Walker to Jacob Nottingham to take the lead again — this time for good — at 25-20.

Neither team scored in the fourth quarter, or should it say… ‘Miller didn’t score at home in the fourth quarter.’

Either way, it was apparent that the Rebels simply ran out of gas at the end. And not even a potential playoff spot charge the team for that last fateful drive, which stalled at the own 46 with an incomplete pass as time expired.