Even on Homecoming, Cowboys can get the blues. Gilroy overcame a
rash of second-half penalties to spoil the Salinas festivities and
down the Cowboys 23-18 Friday night.
Salinas – Even on Homecoming, Cowboys can get the blues.
Gilroy overcame a rash of second-half penalties to spoil the Salinas festivities and down the Cowboys 23-18 Friday night.
Mustang quarterback Jamie Jensen led the charge by completing 17-of-30 passes for 346 yards and two touchdowns, finding junior receiver Dante Fullard (five catches, 115 yards) on several key third downs to keep the chains moving and the Salinas offense off the field.
“We came out of the half and made a point of getting (Fullard) a quick screen and then he was our go-to-guy,” GHS coach Rich Hammond said. “If it wasn’t for him, I don’t know if we win this game.”
Mustang running back Travis Reyes was a force in the running and passing game, racking up over 200 yards of total offense, including an 80-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter.
“He just had a step on his man, and I know Travis is fast,” Jensen said. “He can run with anybody. I just laid it up for him and he ran right under it and took off.”
Safety Richie Sotelo made the defensive play of the game just minutes earlier by returning an under-thrown ball by Michael Sisson (6-11, 152 yards, 1 TD, 2 Int.) 65 yards for a score that gave Gilroy a lead it never relinquished.
“Our goal this week was to get a defensive touchdown and hold them under 150 yards (rushing),” said Sotelo, who also had a fumble recovery.
While the team gave up 213 yards on the ground, the main reason for the victory was Gilroy’s drastic improvement in run defense. The team had allowed over 400 rushing yards per game in the last two contests.
“I thought we were a lot better against the run,” Hammond said. “We had some breakdowns in the passing game, but we were head and shoulders better against the run. Just compared to the last few weeks it was night and day.”
Leading 23-6 at halftime after a late Kevin Grove field goal, Gilroy came out of the break looking gassed as the Cowboys scored 14 unanswered points. The home team couldn’t convert several key fourth downs in the final quarter.
Nine second-half Mustang penalties, which totaled 75 yards, killed momentum on offense for GHS and allowed the Cowboys to pick off a forced Jensen pass on the goal line in the fourth quarter. But the defense stood strong by only allowing one more score to seal the game.
GHS senior Ryan Costa had an interception to go with five tackles while Lukas Fortino took part in 17 takedowns.
Daniel Rincon led Salinas with 105 yards rushing and a touchdown on 21 carries
Gilroy gave up a long drive to start the game but recovered a Cowboys fumble on its own 16-yard line. A stalled GHS drive gave the ball back to Salinas who scored on a 1-yard touchdown run by Anthony Scholl (16 carries, 40 yards).
Receiver Danny Contreras was able to give a little momentum back to the Mustangs by blocking the extra point before Marshad Johnson caught a 9-yard score on the ensuing drive, tying the game at 6-6.
