LINCOLN — East Union quarterback Kirk Simoni led his offense out onto the field with 3:54 left with a trip to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division IV championship game on the line after their hosts, top-seeded Twelve Bridges, tied the game but failed to go ahead after a botched snap on the extra-point attempt on Friday.

“We knew we couldn’t give them the ball back with any time on the clock,” East Union head coach Jason Stock said. “After scoring quickly all night, we knew we needed to chew some time off and finish this thing.”

Simoni and the fourth-seed Lancers, responded by going on a 13-play, 69-yard drive capped by a 3-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Fay with seven seconds left to clinch a 61-55 victory, booking a ticket to their first section final in 36 years.

“I’ve told people all season long that we have the best quarterback in the section,” Fay said. “We knew Kirk was going to be a big part of the game plan coming into today; he stepped up big time for us.”

A week after throwing the ball just eight times while seeing his team run for 500 yards against Placer, Simoni found himself at the center of offensive coordinator Teejay Gordon’s scheme in Friday night’s semifinal, going 25-of-35 for 345 yards and four touchdowns through the air to go and a rushing score of his own.

“We have so many weapons on this team, I just feel so lucky to be the one to get the ball in these guys hands,” Simoni said. “I had a good idea coming into the game that we were going to be able to find some success through the air, and credit to our guys for making plays.”

Gordon’s playcalling in the first half had the Raging Rhinos (11-1) on their heels from the opening possession. The Lancers (9-3) were not stopped by Twelve Bridges on offense until getting the ball with just 30 seconds left in the half in a run it out situation. Long touchdown runs from Fay (7 carries, 57 yards), Brayden Camara (17 carries, 150 yards) and JP Abrew (1 carry, 58 yards) helped the Lancers take a 21-14 lead at end of the first quarter.

Twelve Bridges, led by senior quarterback Connor Frontiera (21 for 27, 315 yards passing), seemed to have an answer each time East Union scored, up until midway through the second quarter when the Lancers defense showed it was more than just a bend-but-don’t-break unit.

After Simoni found Fay (nine catches, 131 yards) from 35 yards out for their first of three connections for scores on the evening, Frontiera would keep a read option and get hit by a group of Lancers, the ball popping free before being recovered by senior standout linebacker Hoku Ape to give the ball back to East Union.

“Our coaches told us coming into the game that it was going to be the defense making plays for us if we were going to win,” Ape said. “I am just really proud of our guys. That is a really good team over there, and we slowed them down just enough tonight.”

Just three plays later, Simoni would find senior wide receiver Daniel Grijalva (four catches, 39 yards) from 10 yards out to make it 41-21, silencing a sellout crowd on the Twelve Bridges side, while a packed contingent of Lancers fans who made the two-hour trip erupted.

Frontiera would answer for the Raging Rhinos to cut the deficit to 41-28 just before the break.

The second half would see teams trade blow after blow, first with Frontiera making it a one-score game from 19 yards out to fullback Bradley Kirby, before Simoni would find Fay yet again from 20 yards out to extend the lead. Frontiera would call his own number from 9 yards out with less than a minute to go in the third quarter to make it a one score game yet again, 47-42.

Not to be outdone by his counterpart, Simoni found the end zone from 2 yards out himself, to open the scoring in the fourth quarter. Twelve Bridges, like it had all game long, responded yet again to make it a one-score game, as Chase Wyhlidko took it in from 13 yards out to cut the Lancers lead to just six with seven minutes left.

With momentum on its side, Twelve Bridges was able to come up with a rare stop, forcing the only turnover East Union committed all game with an interception at the East Union 41-yard line.

Seven plays later, Kirby would score from 1 yard out to tie the game with 3:54 left in the game, pending a point after try by Frontiera, who had converted on 7-of-7 up to that point in the game.

Facing what could have been their first deficit of the game, if the try was good, East Union’s front got heavy pressure, and a bad snap was not able to be corralled by the Twelve Bridges holder, keeping the game deadlocked at 55-55 and giving the ball back to Simoni and the Lancers.

Simoni orchestrated the game-winning drive, finding Abrew (nine catches, 162 yards), and Fay, but the biggest play of the drive came on third down and 14 yards, with Simoni finding time in the pocket before scrambling for 17 yards to extend the drive for East Union.

“Our offensive line did such a good job all night long, hats off to those guys,” Simoni said. “I had a ton of time on that play and noticed everyone dropped back deep with our receivers, so I knew I needed to make a play with my legs.”

After finding Fay for 10 yards to get to the Twelve Bridges 3-yard line, the Lancers quickly got to the line and clocked the ball with just 10 seconds to go. It was only fitting that the final offensive play of the game would be Simoni to Fay yet again from three yards out to put East Union up 61-55 with just seven seconds to go.

In a game filled with drama, fans in attendance would get even more on the ensuing possession from Twelve Bridges. A failed hook-and-ladder play saw Wyhlidko’s forward progress stopped, but referees ruled that East Union’s players ran onto the field before the play was over, leading to an untimed down from the 48-yard line of the Raging Rhinos. Frontiera’s Hail Mary heave would be batted down by a host of Lancers, clinching the upset victory and sending East Union players storming out on the field yet again.

“Just a crazy sequence there at the end,” Stock said. “Defense did just enough all night long, and I’m happy to get a shot at a section championship next weekend.”

East Union will take on number 2 seed Roseville, which advanced to the final by beating Hughson, 23-15. They’ll square off at 4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 29 at Sacramento City College.

“We’ll watch some film and come up with a game plan,” Stock said. “We’ve done a good job of putting together two good halves of football the past few weeks, and if we do that again we’re going to give ourselves a good chance.”