SANTA CLARA, CA - As soon as the final 0.1 second ticked off the clock of Wilcox's 25-21, the stakes became clear: next week's Wilcox-Los Gatos game will decide the SCVAL-De Anza title.
"We had a huge game on defense tonight. We have struggled a bit and had some injuries. The guys came together and stepped up big time ... This was a great team effort," Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said. "Winning this game is huge for us [essentially clinching a CCS playoff berth], but even bigger is we now play for the De Anza division title next week at Los Gatos. This is a very strong division, so to have that opportunity speaks a lot about the depth and effort put forth by these kids."
The Chargers and their second-ranked CCS rushing attack will travel to Los Gatos Friday night for the league title, but not without some controversy at the end of their win over Milpitas.
After stopping Wilcox on a fourth-and-6, Milpitas took over on its own 11-yard line trailing 25-21 with just 51.9 seconds remaining. When junior quarterback Tyree Bracy fired a pair of incomplete passes, the situation looked even bleaker for the Trojans, but he responded with a 31-yard completion to his twin brother Tariq with 37.8 seconds remaining.
Tyree Bracy then connected on a 15-yard pass to senior Dvaughn Jones to the Wilcox 43 with 14.2 seconds remaining. Jones was ruled down before fumbling the ball, so Milpitas retained possession.
Bracy then connected with junior Tuni Faletau Fifita, moving the Trojans to the Chargers' 28-yard line, with Fifita getting out of bounds, stopping the clock with 4.1 seconds left.
After an incomplete pass deep into the corner of the end zone, the Trojans had one play left, with one tenth of a second remaining. Tyree connected with Tariq again, but the receiver was ruled down inches from the goal line - sending Wilcox players and fans into a celebration and Milpitas players, staff and its fans angered by the call.
Upset with the final play being called short of the goal line, Milpitas coach Kelly King refused comment to reporters following the game.
What turned out to be the winning score was set up by a huge gamble by Rosa, who ordered a fake punt on fourth-and-7 with 8:43 remaining down 21-19. David Hernandez ran 18 yards for the first down and then capped the drive by blasting into the end zone on a six-yard sweep on the right side, giving the Chargers a 25-21 with 5:48 left.
The Chargers forced a quick punt after Michael Stewart recorded a 12-yard sack of Tyree Bracy.
The Chargers started winding down the clock, starting at their own 17-yard line with 4:19 left. After marching downfield to the Milpitas 24, the Trojan defense rallied, stopping the Chargers on fourth-and-six with 51.9 seconds remaining on the 11-yard line to set up the final theatrics.
Wilcox started strong, rushing for 206 yards in the first half alone en route to a 19-14 first-half lead. The Chargers went 80 yards on their first drive, which ate up 7:30 on the clock and was capped by a one-yard run by senior Richard Herrera.
The Trojans then flexed their muscles via their aerial attack, mixing in several well-timed runs. Tyree Bracy led the Trojans on the ensuing drive, rushing for 42 yards on five carries before connecting with Tariq on a six-yard TD pass, tying the game 7-7.
The Chargers quickly rebounded, going to the air themselves, with Hernandez connecting with senior Reyvon Dekay for a 26-yard TD pass. Trojans junior Donoven Moore blocked the extra-point attempt, giving the Chargers a 13-7 lead.
The Chargers defense stymied the Trojans offense, forcing a punt, which the Trojans downed at the one-yard-line. After a big 35-yard third down completion to senior Hesekaia Tali Finefeuiaki, the Chargers were shut down by Milpitas, punting the ball away.
The Trojans wasted no time striking back, with Tyree again connecting with Tariq on the next play for an 83-yard TD pass, giving the Trojans a 14-13 lead with 4:14 left in the half.
The Chargers methodically drove down the field with Herrera, Hernandez and senior Isaiah Chavez all marching down the field with multiple runs between five and 12 yards, the drive being capped with Herrera scoring on a two-yard up-the-gut romp. A fumble on the two-point conversion left the Chargers with a 19-14 lead.
With 1:45 left in the first half, the Trojans failed to capitalize on a roughing the passer flag on Wilcox, with Tyree Bracy going 1-for-7 on the final drive of the first half, ending with an incomplete pass.
After deferring in the first half, the Trojans received the second half kickoff.
After reaching the Chargers' 16, the Trojans settled for a failed 30-yard-field goal attempt. The Chargers went right back to their ground-and-pound attack, with Herrera, Chavez and Hernandez all picking up chunks of yards - though the momentum shifted when a Chavez fumble was recovered by Milpitas at its own 32.
Once again, striking quickly, Trojans senior Joshua Jackson busted through a seam for a 68-yard TD run on the play following the fumble, giving Milpitas a 21-19 lead with 2:08 left in the third quarter.
Milpitas intercepted a Hernandez pass at their own 35, though after a bad snap and a loss of 14 yards, followed by a short completion and fumble, the Trojans punted the ball away to Wilcox with 11:07 left in the game.
Five-foot-7 senior cornerback Omar Williams came up with several key defensive tackles and huge plays, with the Chargers defense shutting down the Trojans' high-powered attack.
"Omar playing corner - he's had some rough games recently, but he had a huge game tonight," Rosa said. "He's a undersized scrapper but he played his heart out today, as did both of our offensive and defensive lines."
Leading the offensive line for the Chargers was senior tackle Jonathan Tomaka, while senior nose guard Alexander Flores anchored the defensive front.
The Chargers finished with a gaudy total of 477 yards rushing. Herrera recorded 192 yards and two TDs on 22 carries with Hernandez adding 173 yards on 21 carries while Chavez added 109 yards on 19 carries. Hernandez also was 4-for-5 for 71 yards passing with a TD and an INT.
Tariq Bracy led the Trojans with 147 yards on 18 carries and recorded two TD catches. Jackson added 68 yards on three carries and a TD. Tyree Bracy finished 8-for-23 for 165 yards and two TDs as well as two sacks for negative 12 yards. He added seven carries for two yards.
