Monrovia stuns Owen Valley to claim first 3A regional title: 'We're shocking the state'
As Monrovia quarterback Eli Wagner took Friday's matchup with Owen Valley to a kneel, the Bulldogs' student section rang out one chant.
"Why not us?"
The phrase has stuck to Monrovia's football program like glue, the epitome of a team that four weeks ago was 2-7. Cinderella? Perhaps. All the predictions would say so. But the Bulldogs don't see it that way.
Now just two wins away from claiming the school's second state title, topping the previously undefeated Patriots 26-21 for its fifth regional championship and first in Class 3A, who could blame them?
"No one expected us to make it this far," Monrovia running back Dustin Kostrzewski said. "We're shocking the state. Probably the best year I could ask for."
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Monrovia coach Andy Olson is proud of how far the program, which had a combined record of 2-18 in 2019 and 2020, has come.
"One thing I said here at the end, I told them I was proud, I was proud of our community for showing up," Olson said. "The biggest thing, though, is that I'm so proud Monrovia football is back on the map. There was a skid of about five years where we fell off as a program. We've reestablished ourselves, and now we're back on track."
Two plays. Two gamechangers.
Starting the fourth quarter with the ball, down 21-20, Monrovia knew its power-run scheme likely meant it had only one opportunity to take the lead. So, on each fourth down it faced, the Bulldogs committed, no matter the distance.
Burning time off the clock, Monrovia worked its way into Owen Valley territory, using two fourth down conversions to do so. Then, when least expected, Olson dialed up a play action. Wagner tossed a deep ball down the left side, targeting Kostrzewski. The senior came down with the pass, making a diving effort to set the Bulldogs up at the goal line.
Monrovia scored a few plays later, retaking the lead 26-21 with 4:12 remaining.
"I knew I could trust him; we've played together since we were little kids," Wagner said. "I put all my trust in him; we know we're going to make plays together, so I knew it was going to happen."
Owen Valley responded, driving down the field in a hurry. However, the Bulldogs' defense stiffened, forcing 4th and 9 on the Monrovia 15-yard line with 1:20 left. Defensive back Jackson Faires deflected the pass attempt by the Patriots' Brody Lester, effectively ending the game.
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Run. Run. Pass.
Sometimes in Monrovia's belly scheme, it can be easy for the quarterback to be the odd person out of the stat sheet. Not Friday. Wagner proved to be the star of the show.
Entering the matchup with the Patriots, Wagner had completed only three passes in the previous three games. Friday he nearly doubled that, completing five for 78 yards and two touchdowns, adding 29 yards on the ground and an additional score.
His two misses, both on the same drive in the first half, had the potential to beef up his final tally. Those incompletions fueled him the rest of the way.
"After those two passes, he didn't miss a receiver the rest of the night," Olson said. "We got on him a little bit, told him you need to be the man we need you to be. Owen Valley forced us into passing situations, and when they did that, we converted."
Jozy Hand led the Bulldogs in rushing with 90 yards, followed by Brayton Belcher's 65 yards. Kostrzewski caught three passes for 57 yards and Eli Welch two for 21.
Key situations prove vital
If there was one thing about the Patriots' offense, it didn't really have struggles moving the ball. Lester and Christian McDonald rushed for a combined 252 yards. However, it failed to convert in much-needed situations.
With 10 seconds left in the first half, Owen Valley was within three yards of scoring a touchdown, but a state of confusion ended with the clock running out, ending the second quarter in a 14-14 tie. Then, deep in Monrovia territory following a Bulldogs' third-quarter fumble, the Patriots wound up turning it over on downs, later resulting in a Monrovia score.
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Outside of that, Owen Valley failed to get its passing attack going, not completing a single pass and throwing one interception. Considering the Patriots averaged 181.7 passing yards per game, it served as a key element diminished from the offense.
"Our defense has been epic," Olson said. "At the end of the first half, our defense proved it was ready to show up and show out with that goal line stand. That gave us momentum for the rest of the game."
Looking ahead
On Friday, Nov. 18, Monrovia will host Lawrenceburg for an opportunity to go to Lucas Oil Stadium and compete Thanksgiving weekend for a state championship.
Contact reporter Devin Voss at dvoss@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @DevinVoss23.
This article originally appeared on The Reporter Times: Monrovia stuns No. 8 Owen Valley to claim first 3A regional title
