San Juan Hills had the right player to turn to in the final seconds of its Southern Section Division 2 football playoff game against Downey on Friday night. Kyle Donahue delivered a walk-off 24-yard field goal for a 28-27 victory.
The rise of Donahue this season is legitimate. He has made 11 of 13 field goals and kicked 93% of his kickoffs for touchbacks.
“He’s proven to be accurate and clutch,” coach Robert Frith said.
Donahue, a 17-year-old senior, has played soccer for 12 years. Only when he reached high school did he get serious about kicking a football. He didn’t become San Juan Hills’ starter until this season and now nothing is going to hold him back from kicking for as long as he can.
“I love it,” he said.
Downey tried to freeze him with a timeout. He made the first kick before it was nullified by a penalty. The second kick was also perfect.
“I was getting crowded pretty quickly. It was an amazing feeling,” he said.
There could be rain on Friday for the next game against Los Alamitos, but Donahue said, “I feel great in all conditions. I’ve kicked in rain before.”
This is a daily look at the positive happenings in high school sports. To submit any news, please email eric.sondheimer@latimes.com.
