CALIFORNIA, Mo. - Jose Magana picked a heck of a time to kick his first field goal of the season.
The California sophomore coolly booted a 35-yarder with 1:25 remaining to provide the margin of victory as the Pintos slipped past the Blair Oaks Falcons 32-30 at Riley Field.
The win gave the Pintos the title in Class 3 District 6 and propelled them to a home game against Orchard Farm on Friday in the state quarterfinals.
When asked if it was a tough situation for a sophomore to be in, Magana had a succinct answer.
"That is a lot of pressure," he said.
But the aftermath of the game, with fan after fan coming by to offer congratulations, was much easier to handle.
"This is amazing," he said. "It was an amazing experience."
The kick capped off an action-packed final quarter.
California, ranked second in the state, took its first lead since midway through the second quarter when Jaden Barr hit Landon Mouse with a 20-yard pass with 7:38 left in the game. Barr ran in the 2-point conversion to put the Pintos up 29-23.
Blair Oaks, ranked eighth in Class 3, needed just four plays to go back ahead. A 26-yard pass from Jordan Hair to Dominic Jamerson on the first play was followed by two short runs. Hair then hooked up with C.J. Closser on a 36-yard touchdown pass with 6:11 left and Chris Cooper's PAT put Blair Oaks up 30-29.
California then went on an 11-play drive that ended when Magana booted the game-winner.
"(Magana) never played football before this year," California coach Marty Albertson said. "He's really improved throughout the year. If he stays with it, he'll be a real good one."
Blair Oaks had one final drive and advanced the ball to its own 48 before turning it over on downs, and California kneeled down once to end it.
The first half was characterized by some big plays from both teams.
Cooper kicked a 25-yard field goal at the 6:53 mark of the opening quarter for the game's first points, but the Pintos took a 7-3 lead on a 79-yard punt return by Walker Borghardt at the 3:09 mark.
Blair Oaks scored just 32 seconds into the second quarter to retake the lead at 10-7 on a 1-yard run by Jamerson.
Barr then ripped off a 70-yard scoring run with 5:51 left before halftime, only to see Jamerson race 56 yards for a score with 1:23 remaining.
Then with 55 seconds left before intermission, Alex Gaydos scooped up a California fumble and raced in from 35 yards out for a touchdown. The Pintos blocked the PAT, and the Falcons took a 23-14 lead into halftime.
Blair Oaks managed just 16 yards of offense and went three-and-out on its three possessions in the third quarter. California scored on a 16-yard run by Barr with 3:35 left in the third to set up the wild fourth quarter.
"This one is hard," Blair Oaks coach Brad Drehle said. "There's a definite finality that comes with this one, and that's always hard."
Blair Oaks, which ends its season at 9-3, outgained California 340-318. The Falcons carried the ball 45 times for 169 yards, led by Jamerson's 125 yards on 24 carries. Blair Oaks completed 12-of-20 passes for 171 yards.
California, which improves to 12-0, ran the ball 40 times for 213 yards. Barr racked up 161 yards on 21 carries, and he completed 7-of-16 passes for 105 yards.