SUNNYVALE, Calif. - Fremont hosted Los Gatos for its Homecoming game on Friday night, but unfortunately for the Firebirds, the Wildcats came out prepared to dominate once again. The Wildcats defeated Fremont 48-0, recording their second straight shutout after their 54-0 win against Santa Clara last week.
Los Gatos (7-1, 3-1 SCVAL-De Anza) showed off its wide assortment of offensive weapons throughout the night, as each of the Wildcats' seven touchdowns was scored by a different player. Key starters were pulled early, which gave bench players several opportunities to make a statement. Both backup quarterbacks for the Wildcats took a respectable amount of snaps, and their starter, Yost Girvan, was pulled late in the second quarter. Girvan was 6-of-6 for 55 yards and two total touchdowns.
“They actually brought a lot of pressure,” reflected Girvan after the game. “I just got the ball out quick, and there was no one downfield to stop us.”
Fremont (1-6, 0-3 SCVAL-De Anza) quarterback Ryan Kowal was unable to get anything going with the Firebirds’ pass-heavy offense, as they only converted three third downs in the game. Kowal threw two interceptions, which weren’t entirely his fault as they were both off of tipped balls. Dropped passes also weighed down the Fremont offense throughout the night.
Los Gatos put up 21 of its 48 points in just the first quarter. Girvan scored first on his feet with a 19-yard keeper, fooling the Fremont defense with a well executed fake hand-off to Adam Garwood. On the Wildcats’ next drive, Garwood kept the ball this time and ran one in himself for an 18-yard rushing touchdown. With just over two minutes remaining in the first, Mason Holbrook would also score on a five-yard touchdown rush.
Early in the second, Kowal launched one into the hands of the Los Gatos defensive line, and the ball was tipped high into the sky. Wildcat linebackers Will Schweitzer and Jaden Mazzaferro were able to track it down, and they came down with the ball together for an interception. A few plays after the turnover, Girvan found Schweizter in the end zone for a 17-yard touchdown pass.
The rest of the game was relatively run heavy for Los Gatos, as backup quarterbacks Alex Grado and Carson Dehorn each got some time at the helm of the offense. Grado took the Wildcats into the red zone on his first full drive, and he ended up running one in for five yards, recording his first varsity touchdown.
“A lot of guys got to play tonight, and they did a really good job,” stated Los Gatos head coach Mark Krail.
Los Gatos will spend next week preparing for a big game against league rival Palo Alto (5-2), which will be next Friday. The Vikings are coming off of a bye week, and this game will likely determine who wins second place in the SCVAL-De Anza league. Fremont will head up to Mountain View (6-1) next Friday for an away league match-up.
