Oxnard Pacifica defeats Palos Verdes to win Division 3 football championship

Oxnard Pacifica was in uncharted waters, deep in a battle of the low-scoring variety that the Tritons — who averaged 42.9 points per game this season — often avoided.

Palos Verdes was up for it. On their home turf — with stadium lights rented for the night’s occasion — the Sea Kings held a late lead after trusty kicker Niko Dragin connected from 28 yards with 9:44 remaining in the fourth quarter.

Tritons quarterback Taylor Lee didn’t have to hold his breath for long. The junior finally got one of his passes to drop into the arms of a receiver on a four-play, 61-yard drivethat made Pacifica the Southern Section champion for the second consecutive season, the Tritons defeating Palos Verdes 20-10 on Friday night for the Division 3 crown.

Lee, hit on the helmet as he released the pass, didn’t see the ball land in the hands of sophomore wide receiver Will Jones Jr. Instead, the junior who recorded 172 passing yards and two touchdowns, just heard the crowd roar.

“Seeing him [score] was just like, such a relief,” Lee said. “And just seeing all the crowd cheering — amazing."

Said Jones, who finished with 92 yards on two receptions: "I got my team over anybody.”

Friday was supposed to be a battle between Lee, who already eclipsed 3,000 yards, and Palos Verdes junior quarterback Ryan Rakowski. Last week in the Division 3 semifinal against Edison, Rakowski dove for a fumbled ball, trapping and breaking his right thumb in the process.

Rakowski, a true dual-threat signal-caller, told The Times that the broken thumb ended his season and a six-week recovery awaited. In his absence, longtime Palos Verdes coach Guy Gardner tossed aside the passing game almost entirely and trusted a wildcat offense to keep the Sea Kings in it.

Milking the clock — the opposite of the Tritons’ no-huddle offense — senior running back Dominik Hernando put his body on the line for every yard, tallying 102 yards in 22 carries. On one run in the third quarter, Hernando barreled to the ground after a 10-yard gain — writhing in pain , forcing an injury timeout.

Seconds later Hernando popped up and pushed forward to continue playing. Battling tears after the game, he thanked Gardner for making him "a man,” helping develop him through self-described "behavioral issues” after he transferred into the program as a junior.

“I'm willing to give everything to my team, especially because of the brotherhood that we have, it pushes all of us to give everything that we have and to fight for every yard,” Hernando said.

Palos Verdes had its chances. A third and one from the one-yard line that turned into a missed field goal after a false start stunted the red-zone opportunity. The Sea Kings eventually pushed into Tritons territory with less than three minutes to go but turned the ball over on downs.

For Pacifica coach Mike Moon — who claimed the Division 4 title last year — Friday tested the limits of his team.

Ultimately, it took a pass to land — Lee’s strike sealing the Tritons' title fate more than 50 miles from home.

“Twenty points is not what we’re used to,” Moon said. “But it turned out great in the end.”

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This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.