Ask the Gilroy Mustangs and they’ll tell you eight isn’t
enough.
Gilroy
Ask the Gilroy Mustangs and they’ll tell you eight isn’t enough.
A 38-22 win over the Valley Christian Warriors (7-3-1) Saturday night at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex gave the home team (9-2) eight victories in a row, propelling the squad into a semifinal matchup against Los Gatos in the Open School Division of the Central Coast Section playoffs.
But for the Garlic City Guards, the goal goes beyond matching stellar seasons in Gilroy’s past. One more win would put GHS in its first-ever CCS football championship game.
“It couldn’t have come at a better time, perfect timing,” nose tackle Jeremy Sabla said of the team’s success in his senior year. “This year, it’s like nothing I’ve ever felt before. It’s one of the happiest times of my life. CCS – as soon as we take that, it’s gonna be even better.”
Claims such as Sabla’s are becoming increasingly easier to imagine. The Mustangs have played far better in the second half of the season, and much of that is due to the team’s performance in the second half of games. On Saturday, Gilroy was able to outscore the Warriors 28-15 in the final two quarters.
“They had more speed than us because we couldn’t break off a big play in the first half,” Gilroy Coach Rich Hammond said. “But you know what? Speed wilts with fatigue. They got tired in the second half and they couldn’t run as fast anymore. And that’s when we got our big plays.”
Big plays on both the offensive and defensive sides of the ball, in fact.
Forcing a three-and-out series to start the third quarter, Gilroy scored just a minute later when running back Travis Reyes caught his second touchdown of the game to give the team a 17-7 advantage.
The Warriors responded nine plays later when Daniel Carrillo caught a 15-yard touchdown despite defensive pass interference. The ensuing extra point pulled VC within three, 17-14, but the team would not add to its point total for almost a quarter.
Gilroy countered by calling a trick play on the first play of the next drive, when receiver Dante Fullard (8 catches, 126 yards, 1 TD) caught a lateral before heaving the ball downfield to Lelan Gettys for a 70-yard gain to place the ball at the Warriors’ 10-yard line. Reyes bulled through defenders for a 10-yard touchdown run on the next play to give Gilroy a 24-14 lead.
“Their safety was flying up hard on every play,” Fullard said of the pass, “so right when I caught it, I had these gloves on, and I just gripped it as hard as I could and let it go. I was surprised (how far it went) when I threw it.”
A tipped pass by defensive end Luis Padilla on the ensuing drive gave Sabla his first interception of the year, to go with an earlier fumble recovery. Forced to punt after the turnover, the Mustangs snuffed out another VC drive when safety Tony Travis snatched a bobbled ball in the red zone and returned it to Gilroy’s 48-yard line.
Three plays later Fullard caught a 31-yard touchdown pass from Jamie Jensen (20-34, 307 yards, 3TDs, 2 Int.) on a fade route for a 31-14 lead.
Warriors running back Cameron Marshall was a beast between the tackles – rushing for 134 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries – but as Gilroy’s lead grew, Marshall’s role shrunk with his team needing points in a hurry.
Gilroy recorded its third interception of Warriors quarterback Cory Gambello (14-25, 264 yards, 2 TDs) following Fullard’s touchdown when cornerback Alec De La Torre caught an underthrown ball while on his back.
The game was all but sealed the very next play when running back Sean Hale took the ball off left tackle for a 37-yard touchdown. An extra point by kicker Kevin Grove – who nailed a 43-yard field goal for Gilroy’s first points of the game – gave the team a comfortable 38-14 advantage.
The Warriors were able to make it a two-possession game (38-22) with 5:26 remaining when a seven-play drive was capped by 39-yard touchdown catch by Tanner Burns and a two-point conversion reception by Darin Jones.
But Gilroy never gave the visitors another opportunity to score, driving down the field to run out the clock.
Player of the Game
Jeremy Sabla
Never an easy decision, especially in a game where everyone came to play, but the call has to be made. Nose tackle Jeremy Sabla takes the honors this week for his ability to disrupt plays in the middle, recover a fumble and intercept a pass. Oh, and he weighs about 50 pounds less than the average Valley Christian lineman.
Offensive play of the Game
A 70-yard pass by receiver Dante Fullard – after a lateral from Jamie Jensen – to Lelan Gettys broke the game open in the third quarter, setting up a 10-yard touchdown run by Travis Reyes and giving Gilroy a 24-14 lead.
Defensive Play of the Game
Safety Tony Travis picked off a fourth-quarter pass inside his own 10-yard line before returning the ball more than 40 yards. The play took away Valley Christian’s momentum while setting up Gilroy for a score three plays later to make it 31-14.
Special Teams Play of the Game
Kicker Kevin Grove hit a 43-yard field goal on the screws (the ball might have been good from 50 yards) to make the score 7-3 in the first quarter. Needing to get some offensive results early, the kick was bigger than just three points.
Hit of the Game
In the middle of the fourth quarter, Valley Christian was driving when Ryan Jones caught a 13-yard pass in front of Gilroy’s sideline before being sandwiched between linebacker Lukas Fortino and safety Tony Travis.
Quote of the Game
“When I first saw them I was scared. I mean, they’re good, they pay $10,000 (to attend Valley Christian). Like all they do is play football. And us – we play football, go to school, our coaches got other things to worry about … But we get everything here for free.”
– GHS nose tackle Jeremy Sabla after the Mustangs’ 38-22 victory over Valley Christian
