A seven-minute span during the second quarter was all it took for Wilcox to end any thoughts of an upset on Saturday night in the Chargers' Division I quarterfinal game against Piedmont Hills, as they triggered a string of 53 unanswered points en route to a 60-6 victory over the Pirates, in a game played at Salinas High School.
It looked as if Piedmont Hills would make a game out of things early in the second quarter, as Gabriel Reclusado connected on a long pass to end the first quarter and then added a touchdown pass early in the second quarter, cutting the Wilcox lead to 7-6. On the Chargers' next drive, however, they got the veer to start working, culminating in a one-yard plunge by Gabe Herrera, who ran for 124 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries.
Herrera's scoring run made the score 14-6, with 7:05 left in the second quarter, and Wilcox quickly added to the lead on the second play of the ensuing Piedmont Hills possession. Paul M Rosa stepped in front of a Reclusado pass at the Pirates' 30-yard line, and the junior standout weaved through traffic to his right before cruising into the end zone for another Chargers' score. The interception return seemed to open the floodgates, as Wilcox continued to score in bunches, making the score 37-7 at the half and then adding another 23 points in the third quarter to win going away.
"The interception return was certainly a big play, giving us a two-score lead at the time, and we played a bit more comfortable after that," said Wilcox coach Paul Rosa.
The younger Rosa's interception return was one of two defensive scores in the game for Wilcox, as junior Aaron Ah Sing also scored on a fumble return. The Chargers' defense was big all night, especially in its ability to neutralize Reclusado, who had been a standout dual-threat all season for the Pirates.
"We really worked on containing (Reclusado) in the pocket," Rosa added. "It was the main focus of ours and we had an extra week to prepare for it."
Offensively, Wilcox racked up 276 yards on the ground, while quarterback Alex Adame threw for a pair of scores. Rosa ran for 75 yards on nine carries, and added a 44-yard scoring reception to his interception return. Adame also connected with Ryan Cooper, Jr. for a 15-yard score.
With the win, Wilcox advances to face defending champion Salinas in the Central Coast Section Division I semifinals. Salinas beat San Benito in the quarterfinals, 38-14.