With the 2019 football season now in the rear-view mirror, Prep2Prep takes a look back at some of the top moments from the season. The past season was filled with no shortage of thrilling finishes, 10 of which we highlight below, with this feature focusing on the North Coast Section.
Kennedy stuns Salesian in instant classic
When senior Trey Baker scored to give Kennedy a four-point lead with a minute remaining against Salesian, it appeared the Eagles were going to create a three-way share of the TCAL-Rock title, in the regular season finale. Then Ronald Robertson completed a 62-yard pass over the middle for the Pride on third-and-10, setting up the go-ahead touchdown with 17 seconds remaining, and a seemingly secure 21-17 lead for Salesian.
Kennedy wasn’t done, however, as Baker returned the ensuing kickoff to the Salesian 30-yard line. A pass interference and offsides penalty moved the ball to the Pride’s seven-yard line with two seconds remaining, where the Eagles checked to an inside run play after seeing Salesian’s defense. Baker headed towards the designated hole, but seeing multiple defenders in his way, bounced outside to his left and scooted past the defense for the game-winning touchdown run as time expired, resulting in a 23-21 final score.
“It was an instant classic,” said Kennedy coach Greg Marshall. “The game was just so good, and neither team deserved to lose.”
For more on the game, click here.
Santa Rosa ends Piner’s unbeaten season
Both teams had plenty to play for in this regular-season finale, as Piner was aiming for an unbeaten regular season, while Santa Rosa was attempting to capture the NBL-Redwood title, its only shot at making the playoffs in Division 3.
While the Prospectors had blown out every opponent to that point, it was clear early on this would not be one of those games. Santa Rosa led by 11 points at the end of one quarter, but Piner rallied to take a two-point lead midway through the third quarter when quarterback Yonaton Isack scored on a 29-yard scramble.
Santa Rosa saved its dramatic best for last, however, as Trevor Anderson – who had missed multiple games with a hand injury – connected with Roman Correa with 30 seconds left in the game for a 31-27 victory, a win which was secured by Carlito Pardo’s interception on the next offensive play for Piner.
“We knew what the projections said,” Anderson said. “They said we were going to lose by a lot. We knew that wasn’t gonna happen.”
For more on the game, click here.
Del Norte special teams save day in NCS title game
Encinal kicker John Brindley found himself in a similar position to the previous week, lining up for the game-winning kick in a North Coast Section playoff game. This time, however, Del Norte's Chase Blackburn - who had earlier scored a game-tying touchdown for the Warriors - broke through the line of scrimmage and swatted down Brindley's game-winning attempt, preserving a 14-13 Del Norte victory in the NCS Division 5 title game.
Encinal's final drive nearly did not get into field goal range, but quarterback David Romero-Reinholz scrambled for a 24-yard gain on fourth-and-10 from the Del Norte 40-yard line, and then a penalty at the end of the play moved the ball to the Warriors' eight-yard line.
The Del Norte defense allowed only a couple yards from there, forcing Brindley to attempt the game-winning field goal with 16 seconds remaining in the game. Blackburn then made his next big play, sending the Warriors to a CIF NorCal bowl game for the first time, after winning the school's first-ever section championship in football.
"Our players gave a championship effort on every play, especially the field goal block. We have blocked a lot of kicks this year, so we knew there was a chance at it," said Del Norte coach Nick White. "We made great plays at turning points in the game, and that was the difference. I am just so proud of our players and community. This will live on in our program's history."
For more on the game, click here.
Liberty, Clayton Valley cap Honor Bowl with overtime classic
Well before Clayton Valley turned a 5-5 regular season into an eventual CIF 2-AA title, and before Liberty had two grueling battles with league rival Pittsburg, the two programs locked horns in the nightcap of the 2019 East Bay Honor Bowl.
Clayton Valley forced overtime when quarterback Jake Kern dumped a screen pass to Makhi Gervais on fourth-and-long, and Gervais dashed 81 yards for the game-tying score with 1:41 remaining in regulation. Liberty took the lead in overtime when Darrion Bartley – who finished the night with 113 rushing yards and a punt return for a touchdown – dove in from one yard out.
The Ugly Eagles responded when Kern reached the end zone from two yards out, but the snap on the ensuing extra point was poor and the kick never truly had a chance, resulting in a 28-27 victory for the Lions.
“We knew after what we saw on film that Clayton Valley is a very good football team and we were fortunate to come out winners,” said Liberty coach Ryan Partridge.
For more on the game, click here.
Monte Vista’s gamble pays off against Cal
For nearly all of the second half, it appeared that Daniel DeSoto’s one-yard touchdown run just before halftime would prove to be the game-winner for California. Instead, Monte Vista put together a 76-yard scoring drive in the final four minutes of the game, and after scoring what appeared to be the game-tying touchdown with 25 seconds remaining, left its offense on the field to go for the win in regulation.
When senior Jacob Oliphant dove into the end zone after taking a pitch from Jack Stewardson on jet sweep motion across the formation, Monte Vista head coach Matt Russi's gamble paid off in a stunning 15-14 win.
“As soon as we scored, there was no hesitation in what we wanted to do as a coaching staff,” Russi said. “We also figured that, with how physical they are and how well they run the ball, we were better off going for the win right then rather than playing them on a short field in overtime."
Antioch nearly spoils Pittsburg’s outright title
The old saying about throwing out the records was never more true than in this year’s Big Little Game between East County rivals, in the 101st version of the regular-season finale.
When Antioch’s Cameron Wright reached the end zone with two minutes remaining, it capped an incredible fourth-quarter sequence that saw the teams combine for 33 points in the final 12 minutes. Trailing by one at the time, the Panthers decided to go for two and the win, only to have quarterback Rocco Borrelli’s pass fall incomplete.
Pittsburg entered the game with just one loss during the regular season and unbeaten in league play, but nearly had its outright title hopes spoiled by an Antioch team which slumped to a 2-8 overall record for the season and a fourth-place finish in the BVAL.
“I know what these guys are capable of,” said Antioch head coach John Lucido. “At the end of the day, this is their team for the rest of their lives.”
For more on the game, click here.
San Ramon Valley’s late rally ends with game-winning kick
Despite being just a sophomore, SRV kicker Chase Salisbury had some memorable moments during the season, and one of them was his game-winning kick with 1.5 seconds remaining against California, lifting the Wolves to a 24-21 come-from-behind victory.
California led 21-14 after three quarters, thanks to an eight-yard touchdown run from Belal Alatasi towards the end of the third. But San Ramon Valley (6-3, 2-2) embarked on a six-minute drive to open the fourth quarter, capped by a five-yard touchdown pass from Jack Quigley to JP Murphy on a play-action rollout to tie the game at 21.
The Grizzlies (6-3, 1-3) responded quickly to SRV’s score, as Gary Wendschlag returned the ensuing kickoff down to the Wolves’ 34-yard line, but San Ramon Valley’s defense allowed just five yards on the next four plays and took back over at their own 29-yard line with under four minutes remaining in the game.
San Ramon Valley converted a big third down from the California 23-yard line with under a minute remaining before taking the final timeout with the ball on the 13-yard line, setting up Salisbury’s game-winning 30-yarder.
“We really dug deep and found a way to turn out a couple of real methodical drives when it counted most,” said San Ramon Valley coach Aaron Becker. “First, it was the game-tying drive and then the drive to win the game after a huge defensive stop. We were content at the end to let the clock run down and then call timeout to set up the kick because we had full confidence that Chase would come through.”
For more on the game, click here.
Pittsburg goes extra time to reclaim BVAL title
With 2:52 left in regulation and facing a fourth-and-five play trailing by seven, at the Liberty seven-yard line, Pittsburg got the play it needed from backup quarterback Santino 'Tino' Chavez, who was in the game following an injury to starter Jerry Johnson.
Rolling out of the pocket, Chavez passed to wideout Brian Andre Pierce Jr, who fell into the end zone for the touchdown, just in front of the left pylon to force overtime against the defending BVAL champion Lions.
After receiving the ball first in overtime, the Pirates capitalized with a 28-yard Lorenzo Anaya field goal, one which went perfectly through the uprights. The Pitt defense then went on to push Liberty’s offense back to the 37-yard line, where the Lions' hopes ended with Jay Butterfield's final pass towards the end zone.
“I knew what I had to do. This win means everything to us," Anaya said. "Ever since the end of last season, and us ending up 7-4, all of our losses came back to haunt us. We didn’t want to repeat that so we worked hard all of spring ball, all of this season. We came back, did what we had to do, and did our job.”
For more on this game, click here.
Miramonte rallies past Stellar Prep in wild Thursday night affair
The game was far from over when Miramonte went into halftime trailing Stellar Prep by four points, and it was far from over when the Matadors trailed by 20 points midway through the third quarter. Instead, Miramonte reeled off a string of 28 straight points and then scored in the final two minutes of a back-and-forth barn-burner to defeat Stellar Prep 62-54 in the third game of the season.
Miramonte quarterback Matt Meredith hit junior running back Aidan Browne in the right flat after Stellar Prep had tied the game at 54-all, with under two minutes remaining. Browne did the rest, dashing 76 yards down the right sideline for the game-winning score, an improbable finish for a team which had trailed 40-20 earlier in the game. It was also Meredith’s ninth touchdown pass of the game, confirmed by Cal-Hi Sports editor Mark Tennis as a new North Coast Section record.
"We couldn't run the ball and we couldn't play defense. We had been struggling on special teams as well, but we could sure throw the ball," said Miramonte coach Jack Schram. "We scored on the same play (to Browne) earlier in the game, and we knew they would probably blitz the linebackers again, leaving a safety to try and cover him out of the backfield. The safety tried to get there, but he beat him to the sideline after the catch."
For more on the game, click here.
San Marin overcomes early deficit to take down Casa Grande
After trailing by 14 points after one quarter, San Marin used a pair of rushing touchdowns from quarterback Matt Sargent, including a score on fourth-and-goal late in the fourth quarter to tie the game and force Casa Grande into overtime.
After Sargent tied the game, Casa Grande got the ball on San Marin's 46-yard line and drove into the red zone in the final minute, where the Gauchos appeared to be getting a look at a potential game-winning field goal at the end of regulation. Casa actually drove all the way down to the Mustangs' four-yard line, but an offensive pass interference penalty pushed them back to the 19-yard line, where a stiff wind helped make the decision to go for the touchdown, and the pass was broken up in the end zone to send the game to overtime.
In overtime, Casa Grande's fourth-down pass skipped off the turf in front of the end zone, meaning all the Mustangs needed was any type of score to win the game. Enter sophomore Jordan Kennedy, who nailed a 38-yard field goal on his first varsity attempt of his career for the thrilling 17-14 victory.
“When you play all season, you expect your team to be ready for close games and intense situations like these," said San Marin coach Dominic DiMare.
For more on the game, click here.
