Fortunes were changed in the blink of an eye in Walnut Creek on Friday night, as Northgate senior Gavin West alertly scooped up a live ball after German Acosta’s would-be game-winning field goal attempt was blocked with no time remaining, and ran into the end zone for an improbable 19-14 victory over Berean Christian.
After three straight plays from the Berean 10-yard line had resulted in nothing for the Broncos, coach Ben Ballard sent the field goal team out to go for the win, trailing 14-13. But Berean Christian’s Mitch McQueen stormed through a massive opening on the left wing to block the kick, setting off a raucous celebration on the Eagles’ sideline, and prompting players to pour off the sideline.
“It was crazy, with everyone going on the field,” Ballard said. “It was the like of the (1982) Cal-Stanford game. At first, I was yelling at the refs for a sideline penalty on them, anything to give us one more shot.”
A Berean player actually scooped up the ball first, but as everyone started to celebrate, the ball was dropped and left lying on the field. West, who had actually been on the left wing and allowed the penetration to block the kick, was left staring at a live ball and no defenders between him and the game-winning touchdown.
“(Gavin) just had his hands on his head, so upset after the kick had been blocked, and he was looking right at the ball when it was dropped,” Ballard said. “The officials also did a great job of not blowing any whistles and making sure the play kept going like it is supposed to.”
West’s dash into the end zone set off a frenzy on the Northgate sideline, especially among the coaches, who wanted to make sure the touchdown would be recognized. The officials watched it all, but then moved to the sideline before raising their arms for the score, removed from the chaos on the field.
“We went from losing to winning in a second,” Ballard said. “It doesn’t get crazier than that.”
With eight minutes left in the third quarter, Berean had driven down the field and re-taken the lead in a back-and-forth game, when quarterback Chandler Davis hit Isaiah Hodgins, who sat out the first half with an ankle injury, for a six-yard touchdown on an inside slant. That score gave the Eagles their 14-13 lead.
Northgate took an early lead in the game, when Jackson Smith scored from 10 yards out, on fourth-and-nine, with two minutes left in the first quarter. Berean responded early in the second quarter, when Nick Gaitan scored on a 30-yard run up the middle for the 7-6 lead.
The Broncos re-took the lead before halftime when quarterback Mark Shaffer, filling in for the injured Jack Fulp, connected with Tomas Wheelock for a 72-yard catch-and-run and a 13-7 halftime advantage.
Antioch 44 Deer Valley 19
Trailing 16-8 with less than five minutes remaining in the third quarter, Antioch turned to its most familiar name, and Najee Harris responded, scoring three times over the next 12 minutes, as the Panthers pulled away for the win against upset-minded Deer Valley, retaining possession of the Antioch Mayor’s Cup.
Ronald Preston’s nine-yard run with 5:04 left in the third quarter gave Deer Valley its largest lead of the night, but it was wiped out in an instant when Harris broke multiple tackles and raced 52 yards for the score, tying the game going into the fourth quarter.
Kicker Ryan Redman drilled his second field goal of the night with nine minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, to once again give Deer Valley the lead at 19-16, but Harris did his damage again on the next possession. The number one recruit in the nation again broke multiple tackles, before heading 45 yards to paydirt and a 24-19 Panther lead.
Six minutes later, Harris’ fourth touchdown of the night provided some breathing room at 30-19, and put the Wolverines in desperation mode. After a short possession, Demone Dorsey scored again for Antioch, and the outcome was clinched.
Antioch had led 8-3 at halftime, courtesy of a three-yard run from Harris and a 31-yard field goal by Redman for Deer Valley. The Wolverines took their first lead of the night less than a minute into the third quarter, when junior quarterback Dior Walker hooked up with Jason Johnson for a 68-yard touchdown pass, and a 9-8 lead.
American 28 Washington 20
Needing to win its final two games to become playoff-eligible, the Eagles took care of the first step, knocking off Washington and handing the Huskies their first loss in MVAL play.
Senior Geordan Raines ran for 100 yards and two touchdowns, and added a third score on a 27-yard scoring reception from quarterback Lukas Borba. Borba was a standout on both sides of the ball, also snagging an interception in the defensive secondary.
Niko Brown added 116 yards and a touchdown on just four carries for American, which forced four turnovers to help pick up the win. Iman Nails also had an interception, while Brown and Jaren Taylor both recovered fumbles.
Alhambra 45 Mt. Diablo 18
Alhambra stayed alive in the DAL-Foothill title race, scoring the final 21 points of the game to down the Red Devils.
A one-yard touchdown run by Mt. Diablo quarterback Fernando Perez in the second quarter cut the Bulldogs’ lead to 24-18, but Austin Edwards responded with a five-yard scoring run before the half to create a 13-point cushion at the break.
Daymyn Blalock’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Jackson Norried extended the lead to 38-18 in the third quarter, and Mason Yeager’s 70-yard return on defense in the fourth quarter created the final score.
After Mt. Diablo had taken an early 6-0 lead, Alhambra chipped away with Nicki Rucki’s 20-yard field goal, narrowing the lead to 6-3. The Bulldogs took their first lead on Blalock’s 24-yard pass to Trent Greene, but the Red Devils responded with a 53-yard scoring pass from Perez to Hodari King, making the score 12-10 in favor of Mt. Diablo at the end of one quarter.
Edwards, however, scored three times on scoring runs in the second quarter, as Alhambra began to assert itself on both sides of the ball. The Bulldogs trail College Park by one game in the league standings, and are part of a three-way tie for second with Berean Christian and Northgate.
Alhambra and Northgate face off this week, before the Bulldogs face College Park in the regular season finale.
Campolindo 38 Concord 0
After having not been shut out in its previous 133 games, Concord has now suffered back-to-back shutout losses in DAL-Valley play, as the Cougars built a 24-point halftime advantage and cruised from there.
Senior Matt Ringquist provided the only points of the first quarter, with his 21-yard scoring run, but Campolindo extended its advantage in the second quarter on a one-yard run by Justin Ehrenberger and a 25-yard pass from Jacob Westphal to John Torchio. Seppi Ortman’s 33-yard field goal with five seconds left in the first half provided the 24-0 margin at the break.
Shun Ishida added to the lead early in the fourth quarter with his eight-yard scoring run.
Campolindo and Clayton Valley are both unbeaten atop the DAL-Valley Conference. The teams meet in the regular season finale.
Monte Vista 35 Amador Valley 7
Back-to-back scoring drives late in the second quarter broke the game open for Monte Vista, who scored 21 second-quarter points to lead by 28 at the half, and cruise to the victory in the second half.
Jake Haener’s three-yard run provided the only points of the first quarter, but his nine-yard scoring pass to Isaiah Randle early in the second extended the lead to 14-0. Later in the quarter, Shane Perry ran one in from nine yards out, and the next drive took only two plays, aided by a 15-yard penalty on the Dons.
Haener connected with Brad Jacobsen for a 42-yard score, and the Mustangs were well on their way to keeping their unbeaten record intact. Dustin Parker scored the final points of the night for Monte Vista, in the third quarter, on an 11-yard reception from Haener, before an Amador Valley defensive score in the fourth narrowed the final margin.
Monte Vista hosts intra-district rival San Ramon Valley next week, before finishing the regular season against De La Salle.
