Clinging to a seven-point lead with 49 ticks left and Paso Robles first-and-10 from the Warriors 19-yard line, it was gut-check time for the Righetti High defense.

The Bearcats - who one play earlier completed a 24-yard pass on a fourth-and-11- kept the ball in the hands of senior quarterback Todd Fleener.

But on four successive plays, Fleener's passes went incomplete - as the Warriors held on for a 21-14 home victory to clinch a CIF Playoff berth in a come-from-behind thriller.

"It was just a rush," said senior Jon Dally, who swatted away the third-down pass attempt in the end zone. "Coach put me on their main guy (Light Walleman) and it was just one-on-one me and him, and there's no way I was going to let him catch it."

Dally (8 of 18 for 119 passing yards, 2 TDs) led the Warriors second-half comeback - finding senior Ryan Grossman for the tying score in the third quarter and then hitting senior Mark Malangko for the game-winning touchdown with 4:34 remaining.

"The play was designed to him. As soon as he got in, we had to isolate him. ... I just threw it up and let him run under it. It was amazing," said Dally of the go-ahead TD. "We were down 7-14 at the half and it was a gut-check for our entire team and we all stepped up."

Malangko, whose promising senior season was thought to be over after he suffered a bone contusion in the Warriors' league opener against San Luis Obispo, got clearance from his doctor on Thursday night.

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"Nothing was going to keep me out of this game. It was too important," said Malangko, who made four grabs for 51 yards at receiver. "I just wanted to help the team out to win because I want to play some more games. There's no way I didn't want to go to the playoffs. Where ever they needed me, I was going to go."

Junior Chad Stephens, who took over the starting tailback position for Malangko, rushed for 103 yards on 18 carries, including a 20-yard TD run in the first quarter.

"This was our last shot. It was either do or die," Stephens said. "We had nothing to lose. We were either going to the playoffs or not, and now we're going."

On the game-winning drive, Stephens carried the ball seven times of the 10 offensive plays run by Righetti.

"Definitely (I wanted the ball), because I know I'm going to hold onto the ball and keep running hard. I'm going to see the whole and hit it," he said. "The linemen did great. They opened up the holes. If it wasn't for the linemen, none of this would have happened."

Stephens, who doubles as a linebacker, was also on the field for the Warriors' game-clinching defensive stand in which they stopped the Bearcats cold at the 19-yard line.

"That last defensive stand was important," Stephens said. "There was four minutes left on the clock and we didn't let them get it. We stopped them. That's what I'm happy about."

Both Righetti (2-2 in PAC-5, 5-5 overall) and Paso Robles (0-3, 2-6-1) needed the victory to secure the third and final automatic playoff bid out of the PAC-5.

"We shot ourselves in the foot. We didn't take advantage of opportunities to go up two scores," said Paso Robles coach Rick Schimke. "We let them stay in the football game and they took advantage of theirs and we did not."

The Bearcats took an early 7-0 lead when senior tailback Michael Bell (28 carries for 141 yards, TD) rambled in from five yards out.

After the Warriors tied the score on Stephens 10-yard touchdown dash, Paso Robles re-claimed a touchdown lead on senior fullback Mitchell Montiero's one-yard run and held the 14-7 advantage at the half.

In the third quarter, the Bearcats threatened to stretch the lead, but their drive stalled at the Righetti 30-yard line. On the ensuing drive, Dally - whose 17-yard run converted a critical third-and-12 play - found Grossman wide open in the middle of the field to tie the score.

"Dally was the difference-maker," Schimke said. "We had him plenty of times in the backfield and he eluded our leaping tackles. We didn't tackle well tonight."

The Bearcats moved into Warriors territory yet again - down to the 24-yard line - but a penalty and key sack by senior David Harman backed them up to mid-field. Paso Robles had used a fake punt to keep the drive going before getting pushed back.

Righetti then went on its 90-yard game-winning drive with Dally scrambling 13 yards for a first down on third-and-11 from his own 9-yard line. Later on, he tossed the ball up for Malangko - who stopped at the goal-line to catch it as the cornerback flew past and walked in.

"When you've got a kid like Malangko out there, it's always a plus," Wilson said. "For us, he came back at a great time. It was right here when we needed him. This game was elimination for us. ... He stepped it up and made the play when he needed to make the play."

The Warriors defense did the rest - preventing Paso Robles from finding the end zone on four pass plays inside the 20-yard line.

"If we throw the ball where it's supposed to be thrown, then it's a great call," Schimke said. "That's all you can do. The receivers were open and I can't fault my kids any. They did the best job they could and my hats off to Righetti. Their season is still on."

Nov. 6, 2004