Tahquitz (Calif.) High wide receiver Michael Stewart pulled in one of the catches of the year in the state playoffs against Hesperia (Calif.) Oak Hills High. And while it may not have come in the end zone, and it may not rival the one-handed grab pulled in by LSU wideout Jarvis Landry on Friday, it's still worthy of a spot on the list of the year's most impressive so far.
As you can see in the video above, Stewart and his Tahquitz teammates were facing a 4th-and-5 during the third quarter of a playoff matchup with Oak Hills. With none of the shorter coverage check down receivers open, Tahquitz quarterback Ben Moreno decided to air it out deep, sending the ball in the general direction where he knew Stewart would be located.
The trick was that Stewart, Tahquitz's most versatile receiver, was double covered. That left him with one option to make the play and keep the Titans' drive alive: Leap over the defensive back in front of him, who had a better beat on the pass, and box out the man behind him.
Incredibly the plan worked off, leading to a subsequent 2-yard TD pass from Moreno to Stewart, one of five touchdowns notched by the two teams in a wild third quarter.
Eventually Tahquitz emerged victorious in the see saw, 67-56 matchup, sending the Titans on and Oak Hills home. Yet, without that catch the momentum may not have stuck with Tahquitz so steadfastly and the playoffs might have even played out differently.
Now, Stewart and his teammates can rest assured they'll never have to learn how that might have worked out under different circumstances.
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