Mountain View should have considered bringing 300 Spartans to
Gilroy Friday night because the Mustangs ran circles around, before
running over, an overwhelmed group of outsiders in a 27-0 victory
at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
Gilroy – Mountain View should have considered bringing 300 Spartans to Gilroy Friday night because the Mustangs ran circles around, before running over, an overwhelmed group of outsiders in a 27-0 victory at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
GHS football (1-0) dominated every aspect of the game, holding their opponents under 200 yards on offense while distributing the ball to ten different players for more than twice the yardage of Mt. View (0-1).
Senior running back Travis Reyes led the charge with 80 yards rushing and a touchdown on 12 carries to go with 6 catches for 72 yards and another score. In total, the team had 36 carries for 217 yards and two TDs.
Using a spread-option, shotgun attack and a hurry-up tempo to keep the Spartans gasping for air, the Mustangs were equally suffocating on defense, forcing five turnovers.
Junior linebacker Brandon Elam might as well have been a Spartan ballcarrier with how much time he spent in the backfield. He finished the game with five tackles, one for a loss, and a forced fumble.
“It was exciting because I didn’t get to start,” Elam said. “But they put me in and I basically earned my starting position.”
Other junior players who earned their stripes were running back Sean Hale (50 yards rushing, one TD), receiver Dante Fullard (five catches for 66 yards) and quarterback Jamie Jensen. Jensen looked shaky in his first two drives, throwing an interception off a tipped ball followed by a three-and-out series, but he responded once special teams provided the play of the game.
Forcing Mt. View into a fourth down, senior safety Dennis Rathi came off the edge to block a punt, giving the Mustangs possession and great field position at the 37-yard line.
Three minutes later Reyes ripped down the field for a 32-yard touchdown reception off a Jensen shovel pass.
“It’s like, man, we’re kind of clamoring for identity, we’re struggling,” GHS coach Rich Hammond said. “We get that big play with that blocked punt, now we come right back – boom – score. And from there we felt like everything (was) rolling.”
“We saw that they were man to man, and they weren’t really paying attention to the backfield,” Reyes said of his TD reception.
“Right when it opened up,” Jensen said, “I knew he was going to break it.”
The score helped Gilroy break the game open for good, giving Jensen and company the confidence they needed to start moving the ball with ease. In his first career varsity start, Jensen finished 22-of-34 for 229 yards and one touchdown.
Gilroy never took its foot off the gas until the team’s final possession. Hammond gave his reserves a chance to pound the ball into the end zone before kneeling on fourth and goal at the 6-yard line and a minute and change on the clock.
It was a class move by a coach and team that just might be moving to the head of the class in TCAL league play this season.
