CCS football: Los Gatos defense stands tall in win over SHP
The Wildcats are headed to their first Central Coast Section championship game since 2013
LOS GATOS – There was one constant that the Los Gatos football team could lean on in its Central Coast Section Division II semifinal Friday night.
Its defense.
The Wildcats didn’t allow a touchdown until 5 minutes, 15 seconds were left in the game and forced three turnovers, as No. 1 seed Los Gatos qualified for its first CCS final since 2013 with a 21-11 victory over No. 4 Sacred Heart Prep.
Los Gatos (11-1) will face No. 7 Oak Grove (10-2) in the Division II championship game next weekend. The day, site and time were not announced Friday night.
“This is probably as good a defense as I’ve coached in my seven years here,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said. “It’s a good group of guys. They play with such energy and they’re very selfless in terms of doing what they are asked to do.”
“Front four played amazing, we all stayed in our gaps, we all got good pass rush, and then we just had an outstanding performance from the linebackers,” said Los Gatos defensive lineman Ricky Moore, whose fumble recovery set up the Wildcats’ first score of the game. “As long as we play fast and hard, good things are going to happen.
“We just wanted to make sure that we kept everything inside, short yardage, stop them on first down, just get them off the field, and we did that.”
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Moore’s fumble recovery, on the second offensive play of the game, set up a 13-yard touchdown pass from Yost Girvan to Adam Garwood. When the Wildcats drove 53 yards on their second possession to score on a four-yard run by Garwood, it looked like Los Gatos’ offense was in high gear.
But the Wildcats didn’t score again until early in the fourth quarter when Girvan found Gian Lagemann on a double slant for a 35-yard touchdown.
Los Gatos defensive lineman Ricky Moore talks about his team’s CCS Division II semifinal win over Sacred Heart Prep. @R_Ricky_Moore @LGHSAthletics @DarrenSabedra @VytasMazeika @schwab_matt @Moore70Ronny @WillSchweitzer2 pic.twitter.com/xbYW3HXrry
— Phil Jensen (@JensenPhil) November 23, 2019
Luckily for Los Gatos, its defense was up to the challenge. It allowed Sacred Heart Prep (8-4) only 94 yards in the first half and kept a shutout until the Gators’ Ronan Donnelly drilled a 34-yard field goal with 5:26 left in the third quarter.
Trailing 21-3, Sacred Heart Prep got back into the game with a 63-yard fourth quarter drive. A one-yard touchdown run by Tevita Moimoi was followed by a two-point conversion when holder William VanDyke grabbed the snap, rolled left and threw a pass to Will Mackie in the end zone.
Suddenly, the Gators trailed by just 10 points with 5:15 left in the fourth quarter.
After Los Gatos gained only one first down on its next possession, its defense forced a three-and-out to effectively clinch the win.
On first down, Los Gatos’ Jake Ripp pressured SHP quarterback Teddy Purcell into an incompetition. The next play, a shoestring tackle by Andrew Korea sent the Gators back for a two-yard loss. Ronny Moore, Ricky’s twin brother, limited Purcell to a five-yard run on third down before an incompletion ended Sacred Heart Prep’s last drive with 1:28 to go.
Los Gatos’ Jackson Benjamin grabbed an interception late in the first quarter. Offensively, Garwood rushed for a team-high 72 yards. The Wildcats also converted a key fourth-down play on its second touchdown drive. It appeared that Los Gatos would punt, but backup quarterback Alex Grado fired a 33-yard pass over the middle to Jackson Cookus on a fourth-and-19 play to set up the touchdown.
Sacred Heart Prep’s Wilson Weisel led all rushers with 79 yards on seven carries.