When Granite Bay’s Christian Perry stepped in front of a comeback route along the right sideline and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown, it was the second interception for a score that night for the Grizzlies and gave them a one-point lead over Monte Vista entering the final quarter. That in itself would have been enough to devastate most quarterbacks, having two throws returned for scores in a marquee opening game against a top-notch opponent, televised live for thousands to witness.
However, Jack Stewardson is not like most quarterbacks. The three-year varsity starter is used to resiliency, and he displayed that grit on Friday night, driving the Mustangs down the field late in the game before connecting with his favorite target, Nate Rutchena, for the game-winning three-yard touchdown pass in a 27-22 victory over Granite Bay.
“It’s a mindset of confidence. A lot of kids would not be able to recover, but he moved on and stayed confident in what we were calling and found the right guys,” said Monte Vista coach Matt Russi. “I am always going to be confident in him. We stress that prior plays lead to zero productivity in the upcoming plays, and he stuck to that.”
Russi also blamed himself for the second pick-six, saying he should have called timeout when it was clear that Granite Bay’s defense recognized the offensive set and had a bead on what play was coming. Despite that, Stewardson had no problem recognizing what he needed to do and the kind of support he had around him.
“Coach Russi defines mental toughness as the ability to focus on the next most important thing,” Stewardson said. “That was really important, to be able to focus on the next play and not let what happened earlier effect how I played for the rest of the game. I had to move on and figure out what I needed to do to put my team in the best position to win the game.”
Stewardson also has some prior experience to fall back on. As a sophomore, his season ended early with a shoulder injury after being named the starter in the beginning of the year. And that was nothing compared to his eighth grade year, when he was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and had surgery to remove six inches of his thyroid. It was unclear then if he would even be able to play sports in high school.
Now Stewardson is a three-year varsity starter expected to lead the Mustangs to a top finish in the EBAL-Mountain Division and deep into the NCS playoffs. He threw for 281 yards and four touchdowns on Friday night, three of them to Rutchena, who had 10 catches for 128 yards and also sealed the game with an interception on defense. Even better, the signal-caller who completed 28-of-42 passes wanted very little credit for the victory.
“My teammates were all there for me, picking me up. Our defense played lights out, and the offensive line was working hard all night even though they were outsized,” Stewardson added. “This is my third year playing with these guys, and I did not play my best, but it was the biggest team win I have been a part of.”
Dote delivers in return to gridiron
Senior Kannon Dote could do nothing but watch last season after suffering an ACL tear in Amador Valley’s scrimmage ended his year. But he took every minute he was out and applied it to getting ready for his senior year, preparation which paid dividends when the Dons beat Antioch in their season opener.
“I had physical therapy day in and day out over the past year, and I knew I could never take a day off because I had to be on an accelerated program in order to be able to play in the first game this year,” Dote said. “Mentally, I was completely torn apart because my junior year had been stripped away from me, but I also knew I had no control over that and that I had to better myself for my senior year.”
Dote completed 16-of-27 passes for 229 yards and a touchdown in his return to the gridiron, an important step for him mentally.
“It felt so good to be back on the field after two years of waiting. Not only was it my first game back, but it was my first game on varsity against a very good team,” Dote added. “I have the goal of performing well every game this season, and that started with the first game.”
Dote’s first varsity performance was more than enough to build additional confidence from the coaching staff.
“Kannon has always had that competitive mindset which has helped him through this process. It has actually given him time to process and learn more about the game and it has made him into a better football player,” said Amador Valley coach Danny Jones. “We tried to put him in competitive game-like situations all spring and summer, and then the scrimmage with Monte Vista catapulted him into the Antioch game feeling ready to go.”
Losing streaks snapped
If it were a movie, Mt. Diablo and Novato both would have snapped their long losing streaks in a thriller, where the team celebrated a last-second touchdown for the first win of the season. Instead, both teams routed overmatched opponents to start the season, with Mt. Diablo beating John Swett 38-6 and Novato going on the road to cruise past American, 30-6.
For Mt. Diablo and coach Donald Jones, the win snapped a 23-game losing streak, and for both teams it was a taste of victory for the first time since 2016.
“We only had 13 players for our first game last season, so our whole focus has been on getting these guys to believe,” said Jones, who is now in his second year as the head coach. “They took some lumps last year, but we have recruited more guys and we got in the weight room every day starting in January.”
The Red Devils averaged around 25 players during weight room workouts, a number that might seem small to larger programs but was a huge step in the right direction for Mt. Diablo and a byproduct of the off-season emphasis on culture and commitment.
Last Friday, Trevion Williams ran for 180 yards and three touchdowns, while D’Angelo Jerome added 82 yards and two scores on the ground to go with an interception return for a touchdown. Williams also characterizes Jones’ emphasis on academics, the star running back who also carries a 3.5 grade-point average.
“We still have a lot of work to do, but this win did a lot for our confidence,” Jones said. “Our motto is ‘If I think I can, I can; if I believe I will, I will.’ We are just trying to give them the structure needed to be successful in life, and they got to feel some of that success last week.”
Around the NCS
After having to forfeit its opening game against Fort Bragg for not having enough healthy bodies, Hoopa Valley will play its scheduled game this week against St. Bernard’s, as the Warriors will be able to dress 16 players for the game. St. Bernard’s cruised past El Molino in its opener.
There were seven shutouts across last week’s intrasectional games. That included the lowest-scoring game of the week, Concord’s 14-0 win over Dougherty Valley.
Hayward’s 40-0 win over Pinole Valley not only got the Farmers started on the right foot and cemented their status as the favorite in the WACC-Shoreline, but also snapped the Spartans’ 10-game regular season win streak.
