A touchdown in the final minute lifted Gilroy to its first
playoff victory in nearly two decades…
How’s that for a little history.
With the Gilroy-Independence playoff game tied at 6, Justin Sweeney broke loose on a 3rd-and-15, took advantage of a crucial block by Louie Gutierrez and scampered 30 yards for a touchdown that gave the Mustangs a 13-6 lead with 25 seconds remaining in the game.
The defense finished off the job and Gilroy walked off the field at Independence High with it’s first CCS playoff victory since 1985.
Sweeney finished the game with 267 yards on a season-high 40 carries.
The ‘Stangs held a 3-0 lead at halftime, but fell behind after the 76ers connected on a 56-yard touchdown pass on their first possession of the third quarter. Gilroy’s Shea Lemos did block the extra point, however, and the Mustangs were able to tie it early in the fourth on a 37-yard field goal by Neil Martin.
Late in the quarter, after the GHS defense denied Independence on a 4th-and-2 at the Gilroy 27, the Mustang offense methodically marched 73 yards on 12 plays, including a clutch 4th-and-2 around midfield.
The Mustangs (8-3) are now set to take on No. 1 seed Oak Grove at San Jose City College next weekend.
-For a full game report, see Tuesday’s Dispatch.
