The Serra Padres lived up to their second-best team in the
section status, showcasing a superb ground attack to set a school
rushing record and seal a 53-31 victory over the Gilroy Mustangs at
Freitas Field on Saturday.
San Mateo – The Serra Padres lived up to their second-best team in the section status, showcasing a superb ground attack to set a school rushing record and seal a 53-31 victory over the Gilroy Mustangs at Freitas Field on Saturday.
The Mustangs trailed by as much as 32 points in the game and gave up 509 yards on the ground, letting Serra quarterback Cody Jackson scamper across the goal line four times.
“We started off real poor,” GHS coach Rich Hammond said. “I think part of it’s Saturday, were not used to (playing during the day). And it’s about us being mentally tough. And we weren’t mentally tough.”
In a second-half push, the Mustangs outscored its opponents 18-17 through a persistent passing attack that allowed GHS quarterback Jamie Jensen to set a school record of 466 yards through the air. He completed 35 of 49 attempts for three touchdowns and one interception and also recorded a touchdown on a sneak-play at the one-yard line for the final score of the game.
Jensen also received relentless pressure from an aggressive Serra defense which sacked the quarterback six times.
“I noticed Jamie had to be more on his toes,” said tight end Marshad Johnson. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen him scramble that much. He had to get out of that pocket because they were coming.”
After committing two penalties and dropping a pass in its first offensive series, Gilroy punted and gave up great field position to the Padres, who started at the 37-yard line with 9:57 left in the first quarter. Less than a minute later, Serra running back De’Leon Eskridge burst up the middle for a 22-yard touchdown run.
Before 90 seconds had run off the clock, Eskridge again hit paydirt by returning a punt 81 yards to push the lead to 14-0.
The Mustangs responded with a 10 play, 73-yard drive that took three minutes and 15 seconds, capped by a 10-yard touchdown catch by Johnson on a curl route. Johnson finished the game with a team high eight catches and 159 yards.
The Padres then popped off 21 unanswered points.
With momentum clearly in the home team’s favor, Gilroy was able to close the half on a high note when Dante Fullard threw a lateral to Johnson who then heaved the ball 42 yards to Lelan Gettys, putting the ball on the Padres’ 10-yard line. Travis Reyes capped off the drive, which took all of 25 seconds, when he caught a four-yard swing pass. The Mustangs failed a two-point conversion to trail 35-13.
Second half adjustments to the defensive line scheme limited the effectiveness of inside runners J.P. Hurrell (75 yards, one touchdown), De’Leon Eskridge (101 yards, 1 TD) and Tiuke Tuipulotu (159 yards), but opened the outside lanes for Jackson who faked hand-offs to suck players into the scrum before busting around the corner.
“We changed the front we were playing in the second half,” Hammond said. “We stacked our ‘backers rather than sitting in our (five-man front) and coming off the edge. That’s why we gave up some of the rollouts against the backside, but it’s also what helped us stop the runs on the inside.”
Junior linebacker Sam May, who recovered one of three Serra fumbles, said he was proud of the way the team battled until the final whistle.
“In the first half we didn’t adjust fast enough, but in the second we pulled it together,” he said. “We lost at the end, but we were all together.”
Quote of the Game
Man it was such a long game. What did we do well in the first half? What was the score? … My head kind of hurts.
-Serra Coach Patrick Walsh when asked what allowed his team to get off to such a fast start.
Stat of the Game (tie)
Jamie Jensen set a new school record for passing yards by completing 35-of-49 passes for 466 yards. He threw three touchdowns and also ran for one more.
Serra’s offense totaled 509 yards rushing, with three different runners gaining more than 100 yards each.
Player of the Game
QB, Jamie Jensen
Aside from setting a record for passing yards in a single game, Jensen also absorbed six sacks and numerous shots after throwing the ball.
Drive of the Game
With 11:50 left in the fourth quarter, Gilroy drove 93 yards for a touchdown while only taking a minute and 44 seconds off the clock. Jensen was 7 of 10 passing, with receiver Danny Contreras making a catch and then pushing through four defenders to finish off the drive with an 8-yard score.
Special Teams Play of the Game
A beautiful pooch kick by Kevin Grove with 7:16 left in the fourth quarter allowed Gilroy’s Alec DeLaTorre to recover the ball at Serra’s 29-yard line.
Offensive Play of the Game
On first-and-10 from their own 48-yard line, Gilroy’s Dante Fullard lined up at quarterback and threw a lateral to tight end Marshad Johnson, who then looked down field and threw a moon-ball 42 yards to a wide-open Lelan Gettys.
Defensive Play of the Game
Maybe next week.
Hit of the Game
Linebacker Ethan Ogle comes from the blind side to level Serra quarterback Cody Jackson and force a fourth down on the first drive of the second half.
