Hemeon tosses four TDs in Mustangs’ 28-18 home victory.
GILROY – Fake punts. On-side kicks. Hook-and-ladders. Double passes.
Both the Gilroy and Live Oak High football teams held nothing back for Friday night’s season-finale in Mustang Stadium – treating the crowd to a fun-filled, thrilling rivalry game full of chicanery. In the end, the host Mustangs (2-8) held on for a 28-18 victory over the Acorns (0-9-1).
“This was a close game,” Gilroy head coach Darren Yafai said. “We ran a hook-and-ladder. We ran the double pass… I mean we had to. It was one of those games at the end of the year you have nothing to lose, you might as well pull everything out and lay everything out on the field and do whatever it takes.”
It took a full bag of trick plays for the Mustangs to pull away from the Acorns – who kept things close throughout taking a 7-6 first-quarter lead before facing a first-half deficit of 14-12 and a third-quarter deficit of 21-12.
“Gilroy opened it up,” Live Oak head coach Glen Webb said. “They did a lot of different things. Credit to them. They pulled a couple razzles and dazzles in key situations that kept them going. They hit some high percentage plays.”
The Mustangs’ first razzle came on a 61-yard hook-and-ladder play from quarterback Ben Hemeon to receiver Greg Lucio to running back Melvin Bryant on a third-and-14 situation from their own 22-yard line. Two plays later, Hemeon hooked up with Lucio in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard TD that extended Gilroy’s lead to 14-6.
“It was just one of those games where we had to lay everything out,” Yafai said. “It’s always good to go out with a win against a rival school.”
But before the half, Live Oak mounted a quick-strike, two-play touchdown drive that was capped off with quarterback Oren Catrett’s screen pass to tailback Daniel Salinas – who ran in the touchdown from 69 yards out to make it a 14-12 ball-game.
With 38 ticks left in the half, it was the Acorns’ turn for some chicanery as they successfully completed an on-side kick – which was recovered by Scott Hayslip. Catrett (16-of-24, 230 yards, 2 TDs) then went to work finding hot target Steve Connor for gains of 10 and 11 yards. But with :01 showing, Acorns’ placekicker Miquel Ayala missed a 23-yard field goal.
At the half, Gilroy led by only two with two touchdown passes by Hemeon – a 23-yarder to receiver John Kirkish to open the scoring and then the toss to Lucio. Live Oak’s first score was a Daniel Salinas three-yard TD run. The difference for Gilroy was two Scott Martin extra points.
“I’m proud of our guys because I told them it’s not how you start it’s how you finish and I think we finished strong,” Yafai said. “I’d like for both of our programs (Gilroy and Live Oak) to get back on track in the next couple of years and turn it around.”
Gilroy turned its lead into nine in the third quarter when Hemeon hit tight end Ryan Reynaud for a three-yard touchdown. The drive, however, was kept alive by a fake punt. Hemeon, also the Gilroy punter, connected with receiver Anthony Gonzalez for a big 47-yard gain on a fourth-and-six situation. Two plays later, Gilroy scored.
“That was a broken play,” said Coach Yafai of the fake punt that did not go exactly to plan.
In the fourth quarter with Gilroy ahead 21-12, Live Oak fell victim to another trick play setting up another Mustang touchdown. On a third-and-15 at the nine-yard line, Hemeon (14-of-17, 194 yards, 4 TDs) threw a back-pass to Kirkish – who then tossed it upfield to Lucio for a 25-yard reception and a first down. The Mustangs eventually finished off their 13-play, 86-yard scoring drive with a 12-yard hook-up from Hemeon to Kirkish.
With six minutes to go, Gilroy kept with the trick-play theme by attempting an on-side kick on the ensuing kick-off. Live Oak, however, was ready and covered the ball on its own 46-yard line. Then, Catrett poured on the pressure – completing three passes to Connor and running for 26 yards on the nine-play, 54-yard drive. Catrett connected with a slanting Connor (10 catches, 111 yards, TD) for a five-yard touchdown in the air to inch the Acorns to within 28-18 after another failed two-point conversion.
There was still more surprises to come as Live Oak kicked its second successful on-side kick with Hamid Tiamiyu falling on the loose ball. But the Acorns’ final drive was cut short as Catrett was picked off by Gonzalez with 2:39 left. The Mustangs ran the clock out to seal the victory and end their seven-game losing streak.
“Finally. It’s good to get a win on your last one, especially against them,” senior lineman Brian Lopez said. “We did what we had to. That’s what we needed to do all year… All year we just tried and tried and tried and it paid off today.”
“We wanted it. We worked hard all week,” Gonzalez added. “We just took it to them. It felt good.”
