Andrew Devoe was one of the smallest players on the field Friday night, but he came up with the biggest play of the game, intercepting a pass in the end zone with 11 seconds left to seal Banning’s 35-28 victory over Crenshaw in the City Section Division I championship game at Birmingham High.

Crenshaw had marched to the Pilots’ 25-yard line and faced third and 10 when quarterback Donce’ Lewis threw it in the direction of his favorite target, Roberto Salazar, who had it in his grasp for a split second before Devoe wrestled it away from him in midair and clutched it to his chest as they fell to the ground.

“That’s their main guy and I knew I had to be on him,” said Devoe, a 5-foot-7 defensive back. “Height doesn’t matter to me. I saw the quarterback scramble and figured he was going to heave it. We both went up for the ball, it was in his hands and I took it from him.”

“I had the ball in my hands but when I was coming down and trying to secure it he ripped it out,” said Salazar, who banged his fists on the turf in anger as the referee signaled it was Banning’s ball. “I didn’t have the best angle on it, but no matter what I’m proud to be part of this team and Donce’ is my guy … we have great chemistry and I’m always going to be there for him.”

One kneel down later, it was over and a postseason that had begun with bitter disappointment ended in joyous celebration for Banning, which secured its first City title since 2000.

“We wanted to be in the Open Division, but once we didn’t make it we were motivated to win to show that we should’ve been an Open Division team,” said Banning quarterback Robert Guerrero, who began the game having thrown for 2,268 yards and 18 touchdowns.

His 14th rushing touchdown came on a two-yard keeper that capped a 13-play, 66-yard drive and gave the top-seeded Pilots (8-6) a 35-28 lead with 2:01 left.

“We really needed that score and we’ve been practicing that play all week,” Guerrero added. “With our O-line I knew we could get the yards we needed.”

Lewis scored on a one-yard sneak to pull Coliseum League champion and third-seeded Crenshaw (11-3) even at 28-28 with 2:50 left in a wild third quarter. That came less than four minutes after Jordan Villanueva ran for a 66-yard touchdown to put Banning ahead 28-21.

Collington Tillett took a pitch around left end four yards for a touchdown for the Cougars that made it 21-21 approaching the halfway point of the third quarter. Steven Perez took a handoff up the middle 66 yards for a score on the first play from scrimmage in the second half to give Banning a 21-14 lead.

Lewis found Salazar in the back of the end zone for a 27-yard touchdown to tie it 14-14 with 16 seconds left in the first half. The two had connected for an eight-yard touchdown that evened the score 7-7 with 4:07 left in the second quarter after Lewis avoided two defenders to buy extra time in the pocket, but Ryan DeAngelis responded with a 37-yard run to put Banning back on top 14-7 with 1:40 left in the second quarter.

Pedro Ibanez catches an eight-yard touchdown pass from Guerrero for the game’s first score with 10:50 left in the second quarter.

Since Banning won its first title in 1958, no team in the City has won more. Friday’s title win was the Pilots’ 13th overall, second only to Manual Arts, which captured the last of its 17 section titles in 1984.