It would be easy for the Crespi High School Celtics to feel bad. … Snake-bitten. … Scorned.
Last week – for the fourth time this season – they lost a bitter game late, this one 23-21 on a 51-yard field goal by Notre Dame-Sherman Oaks kicker Eric Solis with 6.5 seconds remaining. 
Crespi QB Bryan Bennett has committed to Oregon.
Photo by Jann Hendry
Crespi thought it had pulled out a 21-20 victory on a 17-yard pass from Oregon-bound quarterback Bryan Bennett to Brandon Graves with 57.1 seconds left. But reigning state Gatorade Player of the Year Ryan Kasdorf completed four straight passes, setting up Solis’ third field goal of the game and another bitter defeat for the Celts, who lost previous games to Alemany (21-17), St. Bonaventure (42-41) and Servite (38-28).
The combined records of those four teams is 26-6 and St. Bonaventure, Servite and Notre Dame have all been nationally ranked this season.
"We’ve played hard and played some great teams, but the bottom line is we need to figure out how to win those games at the end," Crespi coach Jeremiah Ross said.
They better figure it out fast. To reach the Southern Section’s Pac-5 playoffs – considered one of the toughest playoff tournaments in the country – Crespi (4-4) must win its last two games, beginning with undefeated Bishop Amat-La Puente (8-0) on Friday night in a Nike 5 Days to Friday game special in Encino.
MaxPreps reporters Nick Reasons and Karl Wilhelm have been in Encino all week and reached out to the Celtics, who aren’t feeling sorry for themselves.
"It’s been frustrating," said Iowa State-bound lineman Ben Loth. "We’re doing well, but we just can’t finish. We haven’t lost hope yet."
Said standout receiver and defensive back Blake Stanton: "We’ve bounced back from tough losses and won the games we’re supposed to. We just have to come out and execute (Friday)."
Indeed, the Celts have won the games they were supposed to. While the margin of defeat of the four games is 17 points, the margin of victory in the four wins is 192 (or an average of 48). A blowout win isn’t likely against the Lancers, who have been the antithesis of Crespi, winning four games by two touchdowns or less, including a 27-24 contest last week against Loyola-Los Angeles, which played without highly regarded running back Anthony Barr, out for the season with a broken ankle.
Amat also has close wins over St. Bonaventure (24-23), Damien (29-20) and West Covina (21-7). The Lancers are led offensive by quarterback Jerry McClanahan, who has been ultra efficient, completing 85-of-125 passes for 986 yards and five touchdowns. The team’s big running threat is Jay Anderson, who has 759 yards rushing and 15 touchdowns.
"Amat is a tough, scrappy team which has figured out how to win close games," Ross said. 
Bishop Amat QB Jerry McClanahan.
Photo by Anthony Watson
Crespi is led by Bennett, a 6-foot-3, 185-pounder with 4.6 speed in the 40. He’s completed 104-of-163 passes (64 percent) for 1,468 yards and 20 touchdowns with just four interceptions.
"Personally, I think we could have done a lot better thus far," Bennett told Wilhelm and Reasons. "A couple close losses definitely could have gone our way. … But we’re very close and it helps with our chemistry."
Bennett, rated the No. 22 pro-style quarterback in the country by CBS recruiting expert Tom Lemming, has a plethora of weapons as four receivers have 15 catches or more, led by Devin Lucien (33 catches, 541 yards, eight TDs). Stanton (18-22-4) and Brandon Graves (17-326-5) are other big threats. Three have rushed for more than 300 yards, including leader Brad Lahanzio (437 yards and four TDs). Bennett, who also plays safety, has also rushed for 329 yards and a team-high five TDs.
If Bennett continues to have the hot hand and the Celtics win the close games, anything is possible, Ross said. It doesn't help that Crespi is without three-year starter and Oregon-bound lineman Hroniss Grasu.
"We win these last two games and get into the Pac 5 tournament, anything can happen," he said. "We just have to play well and stay healthy and really – anything can happen."
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Look for more coverage all week from Nike, Reasons and Wilhelm. E-mail Mitch Stephens at
mstephens@maxpreps.com
.
