CONCORD, Calif. – The result of the past two Friday nights has left little doubt as to where the power other than Prep2Prep NCS top-ranked De La Salle exists in the East Bay Athletic League-Mountain Division. The place it resides is also in Concord and not far from De La Salle at No. 3 Clayton Valley.
One week after going into Danville and posting an impressive victory over No. 6 San Ramon Valley, Clayton Valley (5-3, 3-0) welcomed No. 10 California and totally dominated the Grizzlies Friday night in a 49-14 victory.
The reality is although it’s taken some time for the players and even the coaches to adjust to the new spread offense, the new schemes have been paying big dividends and the team seems to be improving every game.
“This thing is rolling fellas,” Ugly Eagles head coach Tim Murphy told the team right after the game. “Let’s keep it going.”
This was the third time the offense has scored 40-plus points. Even in the three losses in the first four games - all to solid teams - and where the players were still adjusting to the new strategy of Murphy and his budding young co-head coach Nick Tisa, the games were close; the Ugly Eagles' largest margin of defeat was a 21-14 loss to Salinas.
It seemed like a 35-33 loss to Turlock at home was the turning point. From there Clayton Valley went to Jesuit and came home with a 35-21 victory against a perennial CIF Sac-Joaquin Section powerhouse.
“We’re still having some growing pains of a completely new offense, but once we got going tonight they really started clicking,” Murphy said. “I believed in these guys from the summer, and we came out a little bit slow, and I started to get worried, but from that Jesuit game on they’ve just been rolling.”
The centerpiece of the spread is quarterback Christian Aguilar. The 6-1, 170-pound transfer from Pittsburg had one of his best if not the best of his eight performances this season. Aguilar was 18 of 21 for 318 yards and two TDs with one interception. He was so on that all three incomplete passes were catchable, including the interception that bounced out of the receiver's hands up into the air where it was picked off.
It really didn’t matter because at that point in the second quarter Clayton Valley was up 21-7, and on the very first play from scrimmage after California took possession, sophomore defensive back Josh Rodriguez returned the favor and picked off California junior quarterback Jayden Macedo.
“Yes sir, yes sir, I certainly have,” a smiling Aguilar responded when asked if he had found a new home at Clayton Valley.
“I’ve started to find my rhythm,” Aguilar continued. “Those first few games there were some growing pains, but we grew from it and I feel that’s what really brought this team together.”
After never having a quarterback pass for 300 yards in 219 career coaching wins and 26 years of coaching at three different schools, including the last 10 at Clayton Valley, Murphy now has a quarterback who has four 300-plus yards performances in eight games. Aguilar’s season high was in the 31-27 loss to Del Oro when he passed for 371 yards and three touchdowns. So far this season, Aguilar has 2,110 yards passing with 18 TDs and only four interceptions.
Not only was Aguilar clicking on Friday night, but so were the two Clayton Valley running backs and two wide receivers, and the defense did its job in stifling California.
Ugly Eagles senior running back Nicholas Khashabi set the tone early. After California deferred the opening kickoff, Aguilar guided Clayton Valley 44 yards to the Grizzlies 12-yard line. From there, on his first carry of the game, the solidly built 5-8, 190-pound Khashabi bulled his way into the end zone after breaking four tackles to give the Uglies a 7-0 lead.
California came back with its best drive of the game. The Grizzlies marched 50 yards in 12 plays culminating in a 7-yard TD pass from Macedo to junior wide receiver Josh Calcagno that knotted things at 7-7.
Clayton Valley took no time to respond. Senior Casey Forester, who returned the opening kickoff 32 yards, did even better on his second return, taking the ball 83 yards to the Grizzlies 15.
From there, Khashabi stormed into the end zone on his second carry to give Clayton Valley a 14-7 lead, and the rout was on.
The Ugly Eagles had a stalled drive but it was sandwiched around two Grizzlies drives that went nowhere.
After a short punt, Aguilar completed a 24-yard pass to senior wide receiver Cody DeMartini and a 44-yard pass to junior wideout Hank Phifer. On the third play of the drive, junior running back Micah Avery scored on a 3-yard TD run and the Ugly Eagles had a 21-7 lead.
Khashabi had a 1-yard run in the stalled drive, but on his fourth carry of the game he scored on a 19-yard run to make it 28-7 at halftime. Khashabi ended the half with three TDs on four carries. He would finish with 60 yards rushing on six carries with the three scores.
If California was going to do anything it was going to have to be right at the start of the third quarter, but it never materialized. They ran four plays and turned it over on downs.
At that point Aguilar sealed things by leading Clayton Valley on a 53-yard drive that ended when Avery scored his second rushing TD on a 1-yard plunge to give the Uglies a 35-7 lead.
The sixth Clayton Valley touchdown came on an 8-yard pass to 6-3, 180-pound junior wide receiver Daven Amos, and the third quarter ended with Clayton Valley leading 49-7 after Aguilar hit Phifer with a 14-yard scoring strike.
California scored with under two minutes left, but it was in a running clock and against Clayton Valley reserves.
Both Phifer and Amos had good games, with 110 yards and 91 yards receiving, respectively.
“I was a little worried after that long drive by California that tied the game, but we have depth on offense and depth on defense too,” Murphy said. “That’s the scary part.”
Before a showdown in two weeks at home against De La Salle to end EBAL-Mountain and regular-season play, the Ugly Eagles travel to Monte Vista where they can’t overlook a Mustangs team that coming off a 21-0 win over Amador Valley.
If Clayton Valley wins that game it likely won’t make a difference in securing the No. 3 seed in the NCS Open/Division I playoffs. Should they upset the Spartans, something No NCS team has done since 1991, it would likely be a No. 2 seed behind Pittsburg, but at this point it’s all conjecture.
“We’re on the road, and Monte Vista is improving and we can’t take them lightly,” said Murphy in conclusion. “I don’t want our kids to look past this game to De La Salle.”
California (5-3, 1-2) can still snag a fairly high seed in the Open/D1 playoffs. We currently have them projected as the No. 4 seed, but what they do next week at San Ramon Valley and then the regular season finale at Amador Valley, could change things.
