The stands and sidelines fell silent at City College of San Francisco with four minutes and change remaining in the fourth quarter Saturday.
Serra had taken advantage of three second-half takeaways to turn a tie game at the break against Sacred Heart Cathedral into a comfortable 34-14 lead. But when Padres wide receiver Matteo Gambelin crumpled to the ground, motionless, after catching a short pass, football became the furthest thing from everyone’s minds.
As coaches and trainers attended to Gambelin, an emergency vehicle was eventually called to take him away. The two head coaches — Serra’s Patrick Walsh and the Fighting Irish’s Antoine Evans — agreed to end the game right then and there.
Walsh said Gambelin is fully conscious, has movement in his extremities and still has his short- and long-term memory. He likely has a severe concussion, but Walsh was hopeful that Gambelin avoided something worse.
“This is what (West Catholic Athletic League) football is all about. Antoine is one of my better friends in this league,” Walsh said. “At the end of the day, we wear different colors, but when it comes to kids… we’re all one in that mission.
“It was a no-brainer at that point for us. Clearly the game was over. Both sidelines were very emotional. I was really impressed with how the Irish handled their business on caring for another individual not on their team.”
Evans felt similarly and said his concern was with Gambelin and his family.
“I love Coach Walsh,” Evans said. “I didn’t want the kids to come back on the field (after) what happened on that last play. (He and I) came to the decision to do that. It was the best way to do it. Those kids were hurting (on Serra), and our kids were very concerned.”
The Padres (3-3, 3-0 WCAL) remained in a tie atop the league standings with Riordan as running backs Andrew Takapautolo and Iziah Singleton rushed for 146 and 102 yards, respectively. Serra used a double-wing offense, which Walsh referred to as “Raider,” using its quarterbacks as extra blockers following a handoff or pitch.
SHC (3-3, 1-2) forced three turnovers of its own in the first half, but could not turn any of them into points. The Irish did score on a pair of second-quarter touchdown passes from Michael Sargent, a deep ball to Zion Secrease and a screen to Germaine Powell.
The second half, though, was all Serra. The running game opened things up downfield for freshman quarterback William Orr, who completed a 47-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Brody Smith that completed the scoring.
The Padres host Saint Francis next week, while SHC is at Mitty.
“They’re different types of backs,” Walsh said of Singleton and Takapautolo. “Iziah is heavier, more of a load, where Drew is quicker in that regard. It’s a good one-two punch, particularly when we get into our double-wing formation, which has always been a security blanket for us.”
BVAL-Mount Hamiton roundup: Lincoln, Christopher, Santa Teresa open with wins
Public school football in the San Jose area appears to be on the rise again, with all six Mount Hamilton teams finishing with winning records in non-league play.
Lincoln made an early statement in its league opener Thursday night at Branham, winning 35-25 behind 179 rushing yards from Jonathan Medina and 112 more from Kyan Phillips. Christopher was also a road winner, beating Leigh 27-17.
Two nights later, Santa Teresa won a 49-35 track meet over Live Oak. Salvador Guerrero threw six touchdown passes for the Saints, while Brian Caldwell rushed for 241 yards on 26 carries. Caldwell outdueled Acorns running back Gage Jones, who finished with 225 yards and two touchdowns on 34 carries.
Los Gatos, Menlo, Wilcox claim blowout wins in PAL-Bay
None of this week’s three games in the PAL-Bay Division were decided by fewer than 29 points, with Menlo cruising past rival Menlo-Atherton, Los Gatos beating up on Sacred Heart Prep and Wilcox handling business against Palo Alto.
Knights quarterback Jack Freehill completed eight of 14 passes for 184 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to a 37-6 win over the Bears. All three touchdowns, as well as 140 of those yards, went to Trevor van der Pyl.
For the Chargers, quarterback Kai Imahara beat the Vikings with both his arm and legs. He was 10-of-13 passing for 143 yards and two touchdowns, while rushing for another 121 yards on just five carries in Wilcox's 49-13 victory. And the Wildcats raced out to a 33-0 lead at halftime over the Gators and went on to a 47-0 rout.
Soquel, Palma keep rolling in PCAL-Gabilan
The Knights and Chieftains have clearly established themselves as the teams to beat in the Pacific Coast Athletic League-Gabilan Division, setting up a showdown on Oct. 31 in Salinas.
Soquel improved to 6-0 with a 28-7 win at Alisal. Sam Whelan completed 18 of 25 passes for 310 yards, three touchdowns and one interception, with Hudson Summerill (five catches, 95 yards), Ethan Mopress (four catches, 86 yards) and Cash Moran (four catches, 84 yards) each hauling in a touchdown reception.
Palma likewise stayed undefeated with a 42-14 win at Aptos on Saturday. Patrick Driscoll did not have to throw the ball much, but he was 6-of-9 for 131 yards and a pair of touchdowns. David Garcia led the way on the ground with 115 yards on just four carries, three of which went for scores.
