When the Silver Creek football team opened the 2012 season with three straight losses, a CCS berth didn't appear likely. And it certainly didn't appear likely after the Raiders suffered back-to-back losses in October, including a 39-0 defeat at Westmont. But after closing the regular season with a stunning 41-32 win at Gunderson, Silver Creek is on its way to the playoffs as the lone representative from the BVAL-Santa Teresa Division.
After a 41-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback DeJon Packer to Matthew Falcon pulled Gunderson to within 34-32 with 9:45 left in the game, Silver Creek (5-5, 5-2 BVAL-ST) sealed it on a 13-yard bullet from quarterback Donavon Ramirez to Eric Troughton. The ensuing extra point by Juan Cedillo, Jr., gave the Raiders a 41-32 lead with just 1:07 to play.
Just two weeks ago, the Grizzlies (7-3, 5-2) were in prime position to represent the BVAL-ST Division in the CCS playoffs but a pair of season-ending losses sealed their fate. Lincoln (8-1, 7-0) won the regular season title, but the Lions do not participate in the CCS playoffs because of their Big Bone commitment against San Jose as part of a Thanksgiving Day tradition.
Senior Kieayre Davis had two long touchdown runs in the third quarter for Silver Creek, a 44-yard run that extended the lead to 27-19 and, following a 55-yard TD run by Packer, an 85-yard kickoff return to make it 34-26 in the final minute of the third quarter.
Ramirez accounted for two other scores, an 18-yard TD pass to junior Danny Mercado and a one-yard run with 1:24 left in the first half to give the Raiders a 20-19 halftime lead. Junior Johnathan Curiel got Silver Creek on the board in the first quarter with a 34-yard touchdown run.
Packer, one of the top sophomores in CCS, did his best to keep the Grizzlies in the game, scoring on a 68-yard run in the first quarter and connecting with senior tight end Ulises Marrot for a 51-yard score in the second quarter to give Gunderson a brief 19-13 advantage. Senior Felipe Negron added a 28-yard touchdown in his final high school game.
The season comes to an abrupt end for Gunderson, while Silver Creek awaits its CCS pairing on Sunday morning. The Raiders will likely participate in the Division I playoffs as the No. 8 seed with a likely date against a powerful SCVAL opponent, possibly Wilcox or Milpitas.
