WOODSIDE - Carlmont took the field against Woodside on Friday night, looking to erase a loss at Sacred Heart Prep from recent memory. The Scots did that and then some, pounding their way to a 61-16 road victory.
Junior fullback Si'i Tengei scored three touchdowns on the run, and quarterback Timothy Netane, a sophomore, passed for two touchdowns to lead the Scots (1-1) to victory.
The Scots' night actually got off to a rocky start, as Sean McKenna fumbled the football, which was recovered by the Wildcats. Woodside (0-2) quickly capitalized on the turnover, scoring on a 23-yard touchdown catch by Ethan Mooney a few plays later. Senior running back Josh Peterson found his way into the end zone on the two-point conversion, putting the Wildcats up 8-0. Peterson was one of the bright spots for the Wildcats, finishing the night with 16 carries for 141 yards.
It seemed as if last week's struggles carried over, as the Scots punted again, but junior Gino Bonetti punted the ball to the one-yard line, where the special teams downed it. Carlmont's defense stood resilient, forcing a bad punt and gaining possession of the ball at the six-yard line, from where Tengei punched the ball into the end zone on the next play. The Scots missed the extra point, keeping the deficit at 8-6, at which it would stay after the first quarter.
Almost as soon as the second quarter began, the Scots scored on a 49-yard touchdown catch by senior Matt Vo. This time, the point-after was successful, putting them up 13-8. On the ensuing drive, senior Wes Brown intercepted Woodside quarterback Brody Crowley. Brown ran the ball deep into Wildcats' territory, which set up an 11-yard TD run by Tengei.
"Making plays on defense hypes up the team and the offense, and gets our blood pumping, and we just go out there and hit it," Tengei said.
Down 20-8, the Wildcats' offense was unable to catch a break, as Crowley fumbled the football into the Scots' hands. The Scots went back to the aerial attack, scoring on a Netane 29-yard pass to Brown.
"We are solid with our run game which opens up our wide receivers and tight ends in the passing game, and passing helps us create more space down the field," Netane said.
As the Wildcats began piecing together a drive of their own, controversy hit. The Carlmont defense sacked Crowley on fourth down due to the play being blown dead by the referees when he could not escape the pressure. However, Crowley completed a pass to a wide-open receiver before falling to the ground, after the officials had blown the whistle, causing an outcry from the Wildcats sideline and fans.
The Scots made good use of the Wildcats' bad break, driving down the field and scoring on an eight-yard rushing touchdown by Tengei, putting Carlmont up 34-8 with 34 seconds left in the half.
The Wildcats got the ball with a chance to score before halftime, but another fumble by Crowley was returned 50 yards for a touchdown by Tengei. The Scots went into the locker room at halftime up 41-8, and added to the lead early in the third quarter when senior Jonaven Kuhn broke loose for a 34-yard run and a 48-8 advantage, putting the game well out of reach.
Down by 40, the Wildcats scored their first touchdown since their first drive on a 56-yard run by Peterson. The Wildcats converted the two-point conversion which set the score at 48-16.
"We need to be more consistent (on offense and defense), there are a lot of new guys learning positions, learning the game and learning the scheme, and against a team that executes as well as Carlmont, we were in a bit over our heads," said Woodside head coach Justin Andrews.
The Scots were able to respond with another rushing touchdown by Kuhn. This time he ran for 4 yards and put the Scots up 55-16. Andrew Shelton then scored the Scots' ninth touchdown of the game on a 24-yard run to account for the final points of the game.
"I think that we're just better than they are and we made a decision at one point to stop being ridiculous and doing stupid things and from there on out it was fine," said Carlmont head coach Jake Messina.
The win seemed like a noticeable improvement from the previous week, but Messina chose not to think of it that way.
"The guys we played last week are a CCS top 10 team, and the average fan compares scores, but that's not the correct way to evaluate football. You have to look at the strength of the opponent, and that's what most people don't do," Messina said.
Carlmont now prepares to face Independence, the team the Scots beat last year in the second round of playoffs. The Wildcats prepare to play at Leigh, searching for their first win.
