SAN JOSE, CA -- On a cool November night in South San Jose, the Oak Grove Eagles hosted the Archbishop Mitty Monarchs in the first round of CCS playoffs, winning 52-35.
The Eagles are the second seed in the open Division 2 bracket, while the Monarchs are the seventh seed. Mitty has had success in these playoffs in the past few seasons including making the Open title game in 2013, but Oak Grove had only known frustration in recent years. It hadn't won a playoff game since 2008.
It would come down to the last few possessions, with Oak Grove being in control up 10 with 3 1/2 minutes to play. Mitty had just scored on an insane, double-pass 80-yard touchdown, and was attempting an onside kick. Monarch Nikolas Eppel squibbed the kickoff diagonally across the field. Eagles running back Rashaan Fontenette scooped up the ball, and before any Mitty player could react, he exploded for a 50-yard touchdown untouched. That was one of the key plays in the dramatic Eagels' victory.
“We haven’t won a playoff game since 2008. We finally put the right pieces in the right places and I have to thank the O-line for getting us the victory tonight,” said Fontenette, after the victory. Oak Grove has been to the CCS playoffs multiple times in past years, a couple games being played at home, but never had been able to earn a win until now.
“We knew we were going to win,” added Fontenette. “Coming in, we knew of all of their (Mitty’s) weak points. They’ve been the hardest team we’ve faced, and I’m just happy we got it done.”
Fontenette was all over the place for the Eagles. He had an interception, threw a 37-yard touchdown, rushed for three touchdowns, and added the 50-yard kick return score that clinched the victory. He rushed for 127 rush yards on 14 carries and four touchdowns, with 222 all-purpose yards.
At the quarterback position, Tyler McGovern completed 10 of 17 for 139 yards and added a score using his feet. Enrique Rivera gained 89 yards on seven carries for two touchdowns at the running back position, when he had to fill in during moments of Fontenette cramping up. Rivera also added an interception and 45 kick return yards.
As for the Monarchs, Phillip Tran led the way following Sam Serra’s injury two weeks before, going for 175 yards on 18 of 31 passing and throwing one TD pass. Through much of the first half and some of the third quarter, the Monarchs held their ground. However, the explosive offense of the Eagles was too much for Mitty to handle.
“Oak Grove is known to be a very talented public school. I grew up with some of these guys, and they came out playing with all their heart. In the end, they were more prepared and executed better,” said Tran after the tough loss.
Blake Flovin stepped up for the Monarchs, going for 61 yards on 21 carries. He also scored on a pair of short runs, rushing alongside fullback Matthew Tofano. Tofano gained 39 yards on 6 carries for a touchdown, before having to exit the game in the first half with concussion-like symptoms.
The game was mostly tight throughout the first three quarters, with Mitty being in reach for much of the time. The Monarchs started the game strong, scoring on their first possession on a 5-yard rush from Tofano. However, Fontenette responded by topping that with a 52-yard rush for a touchdown. After a Rivera one yard rushing score and a 49-yard boot from Joel Gomez, the Eagles led 17-7 at halftime. The teams would then trade touchdowns in the third. At the start of the fourth, Mitty came within a field goal after Flovin punched in one of his two 1 yard scores. However, each time the Monarchs seemed to be close, the Eagles would quickly let it slip away from them. A 17-yard Fontenette TD run and then a 56-yard rush TD run by Rivera bumped the lead up to 38-21 with 3:48 to play.
“We knew Mitty was a tough opponent; they play in a tough league. Every opportunity we gave them to take the lead, we made sure to earn it back,” said Rivera. “We hate being doubted; we knew we had it in us to beat the WCAL.”
The Monarchs did react in miracle-like fashion, with Colin McKinnon catching the trick play deep ball from wideout Tyler Jochen. It happened to be an 80 yard score, starting with Tran tossing the backward pass to Jochen, who threw a beautiful ball to a wide-open McKinnon. Mitty attempted the onside kick with just over three minutes left, but it was scooped up by Fontenette who erupted for the 50 yard score. Each team traded one more touchdown each before the final zeroes showed on the clock and Oak Grove began its celebration. .
“We had to get over the mental hump,” said Oak Grove coach Jay Braun. “This game, out of all of them, was the toughest mentally. Each time they made a play we were able to rebound and make some plays of our own.”
Braun's teams had lost five 5 straight CCS playoff games, making the victory meaningful. “In any sport, if you get a team with a chip on its shoulder (like us), it’s a good thing to have. Our boys weren’t abiding to the media or the hype, and I’m proud of my team (for that).”
Coach Keith Burns of the Monarchs was able to construct quite a battered, yet talented group itself. With star defensive lineman Jacob Martinez out and star quarterback Serra injuring his collarbone two weeks before, many players had to step up. Especially with Derek Baurele going down the first half of the season. Burns relied on many guys to fill the role at the running back position. Overall, he was proud of everyone on the field, saying, “Give them (Oak Grove) credit. They played hard, and we couldn’t slow them down in the second half. As for injuries, it’s the game. If you look at our team, how we started, we finished much different now. We lost leaders and guys that were the heart and soul of the team. We used every drop of gas in the tank, I’m proud of my guys.”
Oak Grove will face the winner of No. 3 seeded Valley Christian and No. 6 seeded Los Gatos at home next week.
