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Pacific football holds off Indian Springs in overtime – San Bernardino Sun

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Pacific’s Kimani Whittington (25) sacks Indian Springs quarterback Nikolas Padilla (13) on 4th down in overtime to seal the 21-14 victory in the Mountain Valley League football game in San Bernardino on Friday, Oct. 31, 2025. (Photo by Terry Pierson, The Press-Enterprise/SCNG)

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SAN BERNARDINO – Improbable. Dramatic. Uplifting.

That was host Pacific football’s 21-14 overtime, championship-clinching victory on Friday night against Indian Springs.

The triumph gave Pacific (8-2, 4-2) a Mountain Valley League tri-title with Indian Springs (6-4, 4-2) and A.B. Miller (5-5, 4-2).

A pre-game coin flip that went in Pacific and Indian Springs’ favor and against Miller sends Indian Springs to the playoffs as the league’s No. 1 team and Pacific as No. 2. Miller will hope for an at-large berth into the playoffs.

When Indian Springs quarterback Nikolas Padilla got flushed out of the pocket on fourth-and-19 in overtime with Pacific leading by a touchdown and could barely get a pass off, it was celebration time for the Pirates.

A program that was so in the doldrums in 2024 that it only fielded a junior varsity had risen like Lazarus to nab a share of a title. The Pirates celebrated heartily, jumping and dancing and yelling atmidfield. Such joy at Pacific has scarcely been seen since the Joe Weber football days of the 1990s.

Consider that Pacific had a 31-game on-field losing streak heading into this season when first-year coach Ernie Burries took control.

Sophomore Darron Haywood scored the winning touchdown for Pacific in overtime on a 20-yard run.

“It was a wide-open hole, and I just went through it,” Haywood said. “This guy tried to tackle me, and I rolled off of him and I knew I was in. I got so excited. It felt great.”

Burries, the former Pacific football and basketball star, was all smiles.

“It feels great,” Burries said. “We did what nobody thought we could do.

“It was just belief. The community believed in me, and our (administration) allowed me to be me. They transferred me over from Arroyo Valley and brought me on campus here, where I was able to build bonds with the players. It just felt great to come home and bring that love and passion to Pacific.”

Pacific principal Natalie Raymundo was not feeling too shabby either.

“We selected the right person (Burries) to join our team,” Raymundo said. “And I think it was the right decision last year to go with just JVs in order to rebuild the team.”

Pacific athletic director Patrick Johnson deserves credit, the former Duke University basketball player, for his role in making a tough decision in 2024 to suspend the varsity team for a year.

Pacific surged to a 14-0 lead against Indian Springs on two 1-yard touchdown runs by quarterback Ryan Cooper, a senior transfer from Alta Loma.

But a bad center snap on a punt from deep inside Pacific territory set Indian Springs up at the Pirate 7. Damien Johnson scored from one yard with 9.3 seconds left in the first half, and the Coyotes crept to within 14-7.

Pacific bumbled through much of the second half, committing turnovers, muffing punts, and getting flagged for penalties. Following one of those muffed punts, Indian Springs took over on the Pirate 14. Four plays later, Padilla scored on a 1-yard run to tie the game 14-14.

David Pineda had a chance to win it for Pacific in the final seconds of regulation. He tried a 42-yard field goal, but the center snap and hold were off. Pineda’s attempt sailed wide right.

Cooper threw for 97 yards for Pacific, Haywood had 82 yards rushing and Douglas Perez churned for 72 yards rushing.

The Pacific offensive line of George Pulu, King Anderson, Lamond Nash, Andrew Hansen Martinez, and Shi Warren opened some critical holes.

Johnson rushed for 97 yards for Indian Springs.

“Both teams knew it was going to be a slugfest,” Indian Springs coach Marcus Williams said. “Both teams battled hard. I’m proud of my boys, and now we need to keep fighting in the playoffs.”

Cooper, it seems, made an astute decision in transferring from Alta Loma to the formerly downtrodden Pacific.

“It feels great,” Cooper said. “I’m so happy for the seniors who have been here all four years. We did this for them, and now we need to put our noses down and go into the playoffs.”



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