By the time Foothill’s Justin Craven crossed the goal-line for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter, the outcome had been decided as the visiting Falcons handed San Ramon Valley a stunning 23-3 defeat in the EBAL-Mountain opener for both schools.
“Our defense set the tone from the very first drive of the game with a three-and-out, and we capitalized on opportunities offensively,” said Foothill coach Greg Haubner. “We have a bunch of undersized linemen, especially compared to what our opponent had up front, but we played real aggressive and dominated the game.”
Foothill’s defensive line harassed San Ramon Valley quarterback Jack Quigley all night long, led by linebacker Max Masajlo and Pete Montini, who had two sacks. Haubner estimated that the Falcons got to the quarterback on eight occasions, and the Foothill defense also forced a pair of turnovers.
“We ran around really well tonight,” Haubner added. “Max played with his hair on fire. He’s just a tremendous football player.”
With the San Ramon Valley crowd celebrating Homecoming and poised to erupt from the beginning, Foothill (5-1, 1-0 EBAL-Mountain) not only got a quick three-and-out from its defense to start the game, but Jayden Payne then reached the end zone on the Falcons’ first drive of the night for a quick 6-0 lead, scoring on a toss to the left side.
San Ramon Valley (4-2, 0-1) threatened to tie the game or take the lead at the end of the first quarter, after Quigley connected with Jered Kenny to get the ball inside the Foothill 10-yard line, but the Falcons’ defense held and forced a Chase Salisbury field goal to make it 6-3. Late in the second quarter, Foothill quarterback Bryce Lombardi connected with Montini for a long gain, and after a touchdown pass came off the board for a holding penalty, Evan McConaghey drilled a 28-yard field goal to make the score 9-3 in favor of the Falcons at the half.
Foothill extended its lead on a short touchdown run by Montini in the third quarter, as the two-way standout made the most of his touches during a game in which he was also utilized in another manner.
“We used Peter as a decoy a lot, as they had a lot of attention on him, and rightfully so considering he is a Division I talent,” Haubner said. “Bryce was also fantastic at quarterback, and played his best game of the season.”
Lombardi extended the lead one final time early in the fourth, when he connected with Craven on a double slant combination from six yards out. But as impressive as the offensive execution in the second half was, Haubner continually stressed the performance by the defense and the line.
“Our biggest guy up front might be 200 pounds, and the others are well below that. I’m just so proud of them and the effort they gave,” Haubner said. “The way we finished the game, after the way our defense set the tone, it’s all very satisfying.”
Foothill heads to Monte Vista next week, while San Ramon Valley looks to rebound at Clayton Valley.
California gives Clayton Valley rude welcome
Clayton Valley’s first game in the EBAL-Mountain Division quickly let the Ugly Eagles know what’s in store, as a 30-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Teddy Booras to Belal Alatasi with 49 seconds remaining in the game provided the difference in a 17-14 California victory.
“It was a war out there. If you gained three or four yards on a play, you had to consider it an accomplishment,” said California coach Eric Billeci. “The game played out perfectly as we needed it to. We just wanted to build on the first half in those last two quarters.”
The Grizzlies (6-0, 1-0) led 3-0 at the half, and then took a 10-0 lead when Daniel Desoto plunged in from one yard out on a goal-line wedge play. That score held until the fourth quarter, when Clayton Valley broke the drought with a four-yard scoring run by quarterback Jake Kern.
The Ugly Eagles then took the lead on a 74-yard punt return by Seth Gwynn, but that set up the final drive for California, which culminated when the offense came out in a trips formation to the right, with Alatasi in the near slot. He split the safeties with his post route and Booras delivered the ball perfectly for the game-winning score.
California will now carry its unbeaten record to De La Salle next Friday, while Clayton Valley (4-2, 0-1) hosts San Ramon Valley in a battle of two teams looking to get back on the winning track.
Liberty blanks Antioch
Liberty christened its new facility with a 26-0 win over Antioch, getting a pair of touchdown passes from Jay Butterfield as the Lions improved to 7-0 overall, 2-0 in BVAL play.
Mason Padilla’s one-yard touchdown run capped an 89-yard drive midway through the first quarter, and the Lions led 10-0 after one when Ryan Tolero drilled a 33-yard kick. Midway through the second quarter, facing fourth-and-nine, Butterfield connected with Darrion Bartley for a 30-yard touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
Liberty led 19-0 at the half after a blocked punt went out of the back of the end zone, and capped the win when Butterfield found Cody Muth for a score late in the fourth quarter.
Both teams are off next week. Antioch fell to 1-6, 1-1 with the loss.
Around the NCS
Trey Baker scored four touchdowns as Kennedy-Richmond beat Hercules 48-0 in the TCAL-Rock opener for both schools. Baker ran for 143 yards on just six carries in his first eligible game after transferring from El Cerrito, had a 31-yard interception return for a score, and also returned two punts for touchdowns, from 41 and 50 yards out. Elijah Cannon added two scoring runs for the Eagles.
Mason Frost’s 20-yard touchdown run in overtime lifted Santa Rosa to a wild 50-44 win over El Molino. The final touchdown run capped an amazing night for Frost, who also had scoring runs of 87, 46, 61, 69 and 67 yards. Santa Rosa forced overtime on a Kent Gamble field goal with seven seconds remaining in regulation.
Piner blanked Healdsburg 60-0, marking the sixth shutout win in seven games for the Prospectors, who remain undefeated.
St. Helena quarterback Daniel Martinez connected with George Cutting for a touchdown pass as time expired, but the Willits defense stuffed Martinez at the goal-line on the ensuing two-point conversion to secure a wild 30-28 victory for the Wolverines. Gabe McGinnis’ 22-yard touchdown run provided the eventual winning points for Willits, despite a three-touchdown night for St. Helena sophomore standout Ivan Robledo. Jacob Arms scored twice and had an interception for Willits. Arms ran for 192 yards and also added a touchdown pass for the Wolverines, off-setting a 294-yard performance on the ground for Robledo. The Saints turned the ball over six times in the loss, their first defeat of the season.
Grant Harper threw for three touchdowns – two of them to Max Weaver – and Ryan O’Neil ran for two more scores as Campolindo downed Alhambra, 35-7.
Jackson Malakoff ran for two scores and threw for two more as Northgate cruised past Concord, 42-8.
