SAN JOSE — The Central Coast Section's high school football slate started off with a bang on Friday, with two post-season champion teams facing off against each other in their season openers. The reigning CCS Division II champion, Valley Christian, hosted the defending CIF 3-A champions, Wilcox, at its state of the art facility for a non-league matchup. The Warriors defeated Wilcox, 23-13, in a game featuring two run-based teams using their broad assortment of offensive weapons.
Early in the second half, however, it was Valley Christian's passing game which took center stage, and with the Warriors leading by six points after holding a 13-7 halftime advantage. Quarterback Cory Taylor was intercepted on the Warriors' first drive of the second half, by Wilcox's Aaron Ah Sing, but the Chargers could do nothing with the opportunity and had to punt it back to Valley Christian. On third down, Taylor found Isaiah McElvane on a short completion and the senior standout did the rest, dashing 70 yards to make the score 20-7 with four minutes left in the third quarter. Midway through the fourth quarter, the Warriors would get some additional breathing room on a 27-yard field goal by Lucas Ramirez, his third field goal of the night.
The two fourth-quarter scores proved necessary for Valley Christian when Wilcox reached the end zone one more time, driving 74 yards late in the game, punctuated by a one-yard plunge on fourth down by quarterback Geremy McCollough to cut the lead to 10 points. The two-point conversion attempt, which could have made it a ofne-score game, was stopped by the Warriors' defense and the resulting onside kick was also recovered by Valley Christian to ice the victory.
"We have to get better at finishing in the red zone,” said Valley Christian coach Mike Machado. “We had a few missed opportunities in the red zone that we just need to finish, but overall a solid opening performance."
Valley Christian took its initial lead on its first possession of the game, when Chase Laubach's 19-yard touchdown run took advantage of good field position, after a Wilcox punt had given the ball to the Warriors at the Chargers' 47-yard line. That made it 7-0 with 7:01 left in the first quarter. A few plays, McCullough's pitch attempt on the option resulted in a fumble, recovered by Dominic Oliver. Valley Christian took advantage of Ramirez's leg this time, as the senior drilled a 43-yard field goal with 4:45 left in the first quarter for a 10-0 advantage.
It appeared that Valley Christian was headed for the end zone again on its next drive, reaching the Wilcox three-yard line as the first quarter ended. However, the Chargers were able to hold the Warriors to a 20-yard field goal from Ramirez, which put Valley Christian up 13-0 with 10:17 left in the half. Wilcox returned the ensuing kickoff to its own 32, and this time, the Chargers were able to get a drive going. Unfortunately, they fumbled yet again on the Valley Christian 38-yard line, which was recovered by the Warriors. This time, Valley Christian was unable to capitalize on the turnover, and almost immediately punted back to Wilcox. The Chargers heavy run game finally started to take its toll against the Valley Christian defense.
Wilcox returned the punt to its own 39, and quickly marched down the field to the Valley Christian 40. Sing then broke loose for a 20-yard run up the middle to put Wilcox on the 20. To Valley Christian’s surprise, Wilcox proceeded to run the exact same play, to have Sing score on another 20-yard rush. Tyler Rowland’s extra point was good, putting Wilcox on the board at 13-7 with 2:21 remaining in the second quarter, which ended up being the last bit of action in the half. Three loose balls resulting in two turnovers really hurt Wilcox in the 2nd half.
“We need to take care of the ball on offense,” Chargers head coach Paul Rosa said. “Defense is good, we just have to keep the ball in our control."
Valley Christian will host Pleasant Valley next Friday, and Wilcox will play San Benito at Levi’s Stadium.
