Khalil Tate in starring role for Gardena Serra

There’s no question that Gardena Serra quarterback Khalil Tate has a flair for the dramatic.

And if you need any evidence, look no further than Friday’s thrilling 41-38 victory over La Puente Bishop Amat in a Mission League showdown.

With the Cavaliers trailing by three after an Amat touchdown from Torreahno Sweet with 4:01 remaining, Tate dropped back into a pocket that collapsed within seconds.

He then shed two Lancers defenders with a spin move, saw an opening up the middle and took it.

The 6-foot-2, 205-pound Arizona-bound signal caller then veered toward the left sideline before crossing into the end zone 50 yards later for a score with 2:09 left in the game.

On Bishop Amat’s final possession of the game, UCLA-bound defensive end Oluwole Betiku forced and recovered a Lancers fumble to seal the win.

But it was Tate’s whirling dervish of a play that will stick with the two teams and their fans as Serra earned a win in its first home game of the season.

“It’s difficult to defend him,” Serra Coach Scott Altenberg said. “There were a couple of plays where I was like, ‘Oh no,’ and then he went for a touchdown and I was like, ‘Oh, OK.’ So you take that and you get excited because he’s such a great competitor.”

Both the offense and defense were clicking for Serra (6-1, 3-0) through the first three quarters as the Cavaliers took a 34-24 lead over Bishop Amat (5-2, 2-1) into the final period.

The Lancers battled back in the fourth, however, as Sweet ran in two touchdowns — to give Amat its first lead of the game, 38-34, before Tate’s late-game heroics.

The versatile Tate finished with 199 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 195 yards passing and two touchdown passes to Brandon Burton.

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