The Altavilla twins made sure they’ll get another high school game together.
Cole Altavilla caught a 34-yard touchdown pass from Drew Altavilla with 1:57 left in the fourth quarter, Johnny Laugerman caught the 2-point conversion, and Two Rivers won 15-14 at Hastings on Saturday afternoon in a Class 5A, Section 3 football semifinal.
“A lot of fun,” Drew Altavilla said, noting his brother had a pass go off his hands one play earlier. “I could tell he was mad, but he came back and more than made up for it.”
With Warrior fans chanting “One More Play” during Hastings’ final time out, Two Rivers did just that in forcing a fourth-down incompletion.
Winners in three of their past four, the Warriors (5-4) will play Friday night at undefeated St. Thomas Academy. The Cadets, who beat Apple Valley 39-13 on Saturday, topped Two Rivers 50-14 two weeks ago.
Hastings (4-5) beat Two Rivers 29-19 Sept. 26, a game where Zack Shatek had 234 rushing yards and four touchdowns.
The junior was held to 133 yards Saturday, his second-lowest total of the season and 75 below his average, but his 12-yard score gave the Raiders a 14-7 lead early in the fourth quarter.
How did Two Rivers slow him down?
“We put extra guys in the box and our defensive line was outstanding,” said Warriors defensive back Ryder Harahan, who intercepted a pass for the second straight game.
Down a score, Two Rivers started from its own 40-yard line with 4:12 to go. Delfino Mancha picked up 16 yards on a pair of carries before a personal foul against Hastings moved the ball to the 29.
Two plays later, and after a penalty, Cole Altavilla ran an inside slant and his brother hit him in stride. One deke of a defender later, the receiver was in the end zone.
“It’s how playoff games are supposed to be; close, hard and you have to do the little things well,” co-coach Bruce Carpenter said. “We turned the ball over too much, which could have been a killer, but our defense was amazing.”
“It was a heck of a fun game. Didn’t end the way we wanted to, it was a play here or there, but the effort our kids played with was impressive,” Raiders coach Dana Strain said. “We had a lot of injuries that we dealt with through the year and a few more today, and our kids toughed right through it. Extremely proud of them.”
An interception by Carter Herman O’Brien at the Hastings 14 ended Two Rivers’ 11-play opening drive. Eight plays later — four of at least 16 yards — Matt Foss got behind a Warrior defender for a 24-yard touchdown reception and a 7-0 lead.
Johnny Verdeja scored from the 2 early in the second quarter to even the game at 7-7. Two Rivers lost a fumble in the red zone later in the quarter.
“We’ve got to sustain drives better. We did a lot of good things moving the ball, but we didn’t finish,” Carpenter said.
Until they had to.
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