Football: Timmy Hayes comes through for Crespi

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Desperate times require someone to rise up, and Timmy Hayes did so for Encino Crespi on Friday night, rushing for 168 yards and three touchdowns while also making an interception in the final five minutes to help the Celts stun Mission Hills Alemany, 29-27, in a Serra League game.

Hayes’ 75-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter gave Crespi a 29-21 lead.

Crespi (8-2, 2-2) had lost consecutive close games to Sherman Oaks Notre Dame and La Puente Bishop Amat, making its Pac-5 playoff chances look slim. But the win over Alemany combined with losses by Tesoro in the South Coast League and Orange Lutheran in the Trinity League now puts the Celts back in the playoff picture.

There are two at-large berths for the Pac-5. Few expected one league to get both spots, but the Serra League could do just that. Alemany (7-2, 2-1), Bishop Amat (7-1-1, 2-1) and Sherman Oaks Notre Dame (6-3, 2-1) remain in better position than the Celts to earn spots. Alemany needs to beat Loyola in its finale. The winner of the Bishop Amat-Notre Dame game on Friday will also make the playoffs.

Bishop Amat and Notre Dame hold a tiebreaker edge over Crespi and must be considered ahead of the Celts, who own wins over Westlake, Alemany and one of the top teams in Arizona.

But why shouldn’t all four teams go? It could happen, and Hayes’ performance has put the Celts back into playoff consideration.

-- Eric Sondheimer