The momentum was finally on Tempe Marcos de Niza’s side.

After trailing Avondale Westview for a majority of the game Friday night — and by as much as 17 points in the first half — the Padres were in perfect position to pull off an emotional and thrilling comeback in the quarterfinals of the 5A-II state football playoffs.

Having just cut the deficit to two on a determined 10-yard touchdown run by quarterback David Viel with 58 seconds left, and with their home crowd rocking the stands behind them, the Padres started to turn their thoughts to the next round.

“We thought we were about to get an onside kick and win the game,” running back Harrison Evens said.

No. 3-seeded Marcos de Niza (10-2) did in fact recover the kick (Evens came up with it on the 50-yard line), but the victory was not to be. The sixth-seeded Knights stripped the ball from Evens as he was reversing field on the next play from scrimmage, recovered the fumble, then ran out the clock to escape with a 36-34 win.

Westview (9-3), which had lost in the quarterfinals each of the last two years, will next face Phoenix South Mountain, which advanced with a 12-7 victory at Phoenix Pinnacle.

“It was a big game. Coach (Jeff Bowen) has been saying it for a long time. To get over this hump is amazing,” said Knights running back Reggie Nicholson, the star of the night with two touchdowns and 213 yards rushing on 21 carries.

Evens (three touchdowns, 132 rushing yards on 14 carries, 85 yards on five receptions) and Viel (168 passing yards on eight completions, 90 rushing yards on 11 carries, one TD) were outstanding. But their efforts ultimately could not overcome three Padre turnovers.

Marcos’ first two giveaways (an interception and a fumble) came in the first half and led to 14 Westview points, helping the Knights to a 24-14 halftime advantage.

But the Padres — looking for their second straight trip to the semifinals — played inspired ball in the second half, eventually tying the game at 27-27 11 seconds into the fourth quarter. Westview responded with nine straight points before Viel’s TD run capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive in the game’s final three minutes.

“Mistakes, turnovers will kill you,” Padres coach Roy Lopez said. “We just didn’t make the plays we needed to .”