DANVILLE, CA - Behind the strong effort of star running back Marcus De La Pena, the San Ramon Valley Wolves moved into second place in the East Bay Athletic League standings after a huge 54-42 victory against Foothill — one of the East Bay’s most talented teams.
“I think a little bit of our senior leadership (made the difference),” said San Ramon Valley head coach Mark Kessler. “We came out sluggish, had a poor week of practice after a tough loss to Cal and faced a tough Foothill team and we started shaky, but the seniors were able to lead us through it and have a real good first half.”
De La Pena had a monstrous night, running for four touchdowns in the first half and five altogether. He also finished with 154 yards rushing on 29 carries, 112 of his yards coming before halftime. His 1 yard touchdown run with 2:25 remaining in the second quarter gave the Wolves a 34-7 lead.
“To be honest, I think that’s what we expect from Marcus every Friday night and he’s delivered,” said Kessler.
After running for 154 yards, De La Pena upped his season totals to more than 1,300 and 16 touchdowns.
De La Pena has a scholarship offer from the University of Wyoming.
Foothill’s start was electrifying and eerily similar to their opening drive against California last week. Isaiah Langley capped off an 8-play drive by running in from 24 yards out to give Foothill an early 7-0 lead, but San Ramon Valley responded right back with an 8 yard touchdown run from De La Pena to knot it up at 7.
But from that point on, the Wolves outscored the Falcons 27-7 for the rest of the half, taking a 34-14 lead into halftime.
Quarterback Matt Winaker was another crucial part in the Wolves’ success. He completed 13 of 18 passes for 214 yards and two touchdowns, consisting of 20 and 71 yards - the 71-yard touchdown pass going to junior JJ Koski giving the Wolves a 47-21 lead with one second left in the third.
Koski was one of Winaker’s most targeted receivers. He had five catches and 113 yards on the night along with one touchdown.
The Falcons’ evening wasn’t the prettiest, as they turned the ball over six times, fumbling it away three times, and throwing three interceptions. Worsening the night, Isaiah Langley, who recently was offered a scholarship by UCLA, left in the second quarter with what appeared to be a concussion.
Langley, playing as a running back due to starting running back Jamirr Holland’s season-ending broken foot against Granada, ran for 38 yards and one touchdown before his own injury.
With the victory, San Ramon Valley is playoff-bound for the 18th straight season, and is in good position to be a likely No. 4 or 5 seed in the North Coast Section Division 1 playoffs.
“I think it’s great,” Kessler said. “I think that every win in our league is a big deal."
