PLEASANTON, CA - After losing by five points to its rival Amador Valley last year, Foothill brought the city championship home this year, coming out on top of the Dons 41-14 backed by a huge effort from junior Isaiah Langley.
“It feels great,” said Langley of the victory. “We knew we had to come big this year. We’ve been waiting for it all season, all year. It feels great to get this win.”
Langely, who has offers from Cal, Oregon State and UCLA, had one the best nights of his career. Although he is listed as a receiver on offense, he was mainly utilized at running back, rushing for 91 yards and two touchdowns on seven carries. His touchdowns were from 15, 18 and 36 yards, along with a 21-yard touchdown reception he hauled in from quarterback Kyle Kearns to give Foothill a 7-0 lead with 6:38 left in the first quarter.
Amador Valley scored seven plays after Kearns fumbled, as senior Michael White ran in from three yards out to knot it up at 7 with 8:32 left in the second. From that point on, Foothill outscored them 34-7.
But Langley’s presence was especially felt on defense, where he grabbed two interceptions from Amador quarterback Ronnie Jones.
“It was a great performance by me, but I put it on the line for my seniors,” Langley said.
The entire Falcons defense came up big. They held Dons quarterback Ronnie Jones to 7-of-18 passing for 38 yards. Jones, however, did do some work on the ground, running for 27 yards on six carries in the first half, showcasing his running abilities.
The win was sealed early on for the Falcons. Once Langley scampered in from 18 yards out to give them a 27-7 lead with 2:32 remaining until halftime, the game was effectively over.
Sophomores played large parts in the victory. Fullback Cash Connolly rushed for 58 yards on nine carries and Isaiah Floyd had 32 yards on the ground including 32 yards on the ground including one receiving touchdown from 13 yards out to give themselves a 34-7 lead midway through the third quarter.
Overall, it was a satisfying night for Foothill, in managing to avenge last season's loss to Amador Valley.
“It’s probably the greatest feeling ever,” said senior Tyler Reni. “Being able to come back my senior year and coming back and just whooping them. This is probably the best feeling in my life."
Finishing the season 8-2 and 4-2 in East Bay Athletic League play, Foothill is looking to continue its success in the NCS Division 1 playoffs, which start next Friday. They will be a likely No.7 seed when the brackets come out.
“We come into the playoffs with a lot of momentum,” said Langley. “We will see who we play first.”
After starting out the season 4-0, Amador has gone 1-5 since, finishing the season at .500 (5-5). With the loss they will likely be on the road in the first round of the playoffs.
