In the historic 100th meeting between East Bay Athletic League rivals Livermore and Amador Valley, the host Cowboys pulled off an improbable 21-20 come-from-behind win over the Dons.
Livermore’s Lucas Montenegro returned an interception 65 yards for a touchdown at the end of the third quarter, and the Cowboys’ defense held Amador Valley scoreless in the second half after trailing 20-0 after the first two quarters.
“Defense, defense, defense,” said first-year Livermore coach Ryan Partridge, referring to the trigger for the second-half comeback. “Interceptions, fumble recoveries, I have no clue right now. Our boys had no quit in them.”
The Livermore comeback created a gamut of emotions for a pair of first-year head coaches, both of whom are Amador Valley alums.
“It’s just an unbelievable feeling to beat my alma mater,” Partridge added.
Things did not look good in the first half for the home team, as Amador Valley (2-5, 2-3 EBAL) raced to a 13-0 lead after one quarter, and a 20-0 lead at the half.
The third quarter also did not start off promising for the Cowboys, as the Dons drove deep into Livermore territory, and had second and goal from inside the Cowboys’ one-yard line. But on the next play, Montenegro scooped up a fumble and returned it to midfield. Connor Parkerson finished the drive with a five-yard scoring run to get Livermore on the board, with 5:11 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cowboys grabbed all the momentum on their next drive, as Dominic Range scored on a 49-yard touchdown run, closing the gap to 20-14 late in the third quarter. On Amador Valley’s next drive, Montenegro pulled off his return for the go-ahead touchdown.
Livermore (4-2, 2-2) has now won four games for the first time in five seasons. The win over Amador Valley was the first for the Cowboys since 1999.
Monte Vista 45 Dublin 7
Quarterback Jake Haener threw for three first-half scores as the Mustangs built a 35-point lead by halftime in a one-sided win over the Gaels (2-4, 0-4 EBAL).
Haener actually opened the scoring with a 10-yard run, before finding Brad Jacobsen for a 45-yard score later in the first quarter. Early in the second quarter, it was Erik Krommenhoek’s turn to score from 32 yards out on a pass from Haener.
Shane Perry ran one in from two yards away before Haener completed the first-half scoring for Monte Vista (6-0, 5-0) with an 18-yard pass to Isaiah Randle.
Haener threw for a fourth touchdown, on the Mustangs’ opening drive of the second half, when he connected with Randle for a 73-yard score. Peyton Henry completed Monte Vista’s scoring with a 36-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
Berean Christian 54 Mt. Diablo 12
In its first game in the new Diablo Athletic League, Berean Christian (4-2, 1-0 DAL-Foothill) rolled past Mt. Diablo (1-5, 0-1), despite not having standout Isaiah Hodgins available.
With Hodgins sidelined for the game, sophomore Jayden Jackson stole the show, with four receiving touchdowns and two interceptions on defense, while quarterback Chandler Davis threw for six scores.
Nick Gaitan opened the scoring for the Eagles, after the Red Devils had taken an early lead, but Mt. Diablo actually 12-6 after one quarter of play. The second quarter, though, featured two touchdown passes from Davis to Jackson, and the duo kept going in the second half.
Jackson’s fourth score of the night came on a fourth-and-11 play, and gave the Eagles a commanding 41-12 lead in the third quarter, and Johnny Grillos added a scoring run before the end of the third to ensure a running clock in the final period of play.
Moreau Catholic 57 American 21
The Mariners avenged last season’s loss to American (3-4, 1-2 MVAL), building a 39-point lead in the third quarter on their way to a big win.
Moreau Catholic (5-1, 2-0) scored the first 27 points of the game, as four different Mariners got into the scoring column in the first half. Jullen Ison’s second touchdown run of the game, in the third quarter, was followed by LJ Anderson’s fumble recovery for a touchdown, and Kenry Jourdan’s second score of the game on the ground made the score 47-8 in the third quarter.
Jordan Seiden saw the end zone first for Moreau, on his short run late in the first quarter. That was followed by Jourdan’s first scoring run, and a 52-yard pass from Jourdan to Josh Pullum.
Rancho Cotate 51 Windsor 23
Logan Reese’s 63-yard punt return for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter clinched things for the Cougars (4-2, 3-0 NBL), who raced past Windsor (4-2, 1-2) in a big North Bay League game.
Quarterback Jake Simmons had a phenomenal first half, throwing for 354 yards and four touchdowns in the first two quarters, with three of those scoring passes going to AJ Vallejos. The other score was a 75-yarder to Reese, as the Cougars led 27-10 at the break.
At one point, Windsor closed the lead to 21-10 in the second quarter, on a Kobe Roman touchdown run, but the Cougars pulled away over the next two quarters.
Campolindo 56 Las Lomas 3
Senior running back Matt Ringquist scored three times in the first quarter, as the Cougars (4-2, 1-0) raced past Las Lomas (0-6, 0-1) in the DAL-Valley Conference opener for both schools.
Jacob Westphal threw for two touchdowns – one each to Ringquist and Vincent Mossotti – and Noah Loeliger added two more scoring runs, as the Cougars led 35-0 at halftime in the one-sided game. Brett Smith added a second-half scoring run. Las Lomas’ points came on a short field goal from Devyn Fisher.
San Leandro 41 Castro Valley 0
The Pirates’ stifling defense made sure San Leandro would successfully open its title defense in the WACC-Foothill Division.
Castro Valley (1-5, 0-1 WACC-Foothill) actually drove into field goal range early in the game, but San Leandro (3-3, 1-0) blocked the attempt, and Jahari Kay scooped up the loose ball for an 80-yard touchdown return and a 7-0 lead.
San Leandro extended the lead before the end of the first quarter, when Omari Land scored the first of his three touchdowns to make it 13-0 after one period of play. Neither team scored in the second quarter, but Land scored once in the third and again early in the fourth to put the game out of reach.
