Even if the dim stadium lights at the Burlingame High football
field had been bright, they probably wouldn’t have helped the
Panthers much.
Burlingame – Even if the dim stadium lights at the Burlingame High football field had been bright, they probably wouldn’t have helped the Panthers much.
No matter how much light shined down, they still wouldn’t have been able to see Gilroy running back Justin Sweeney.
The senior running back started off the season with a bang, scoring four touchdowns and running the ball for 226 yards on 23 carries, leading the Mustangs to a 35-28 season-opening win at Burlingame.
Sweeney knew the game plan was to run the ball, but he wasn’t planning on having an opening night like that.
“All praise goes to my offensive line,” said the exhausted senior, who crossed over the regular season 2,000-yard mark for his career on his second carry of the night.
Gilroy got off to a strong start, taking a 14-0 lead in the first five minutes of the game on a pair of Sweeney touchdowns, one of which came on an 88-yard punt return.
Displaying the athleticism that made the senior a CCS First Team selection in 2004, Sweeney caught the ball on the fly with his back to the punter before reversing his heading, taking it up the middle and breaking free for a thrilling score.
But as the game wore on, defending Central Coast Section Division III champs Burlingame stayed in it with an unexpectedly strong passing game and eventually took a 28-27 lead with 7:39 left in the game.
In the ensuing series, Sweeney had back-to-back first-down runs of 16 and 27 yards, bringing Gilroy to the Burlingame 24-yard line. A penalty on the Panthers and a pair of short runs by senior quarterback Nick Tovar, the last of which resulted in a first down, got Gilroy to the Burlingame 14.
On the next play, Tovar handed the ball off to junior running back Paul Gonzalez, who cut from the right up the middle and into the endzone to put the ‘Stangs back up with five and a half minutes to play.
“It feels pretty good,” said Gonzalez, who had 81 yards on 11 carries, about scoring his first varsity touchdown. “It’s really fun playing (on varsity). It’s faster and there’s more blocking.”
Tovar found tight end Steven Quistian alone in the middle of the end zone for a successful two-point conversion, a key play which put Gilroy up by seven.
In its next series, Burlingame was driving and had just gotten a first down at its own 44 with 2:47 to play. But Sweeney, this time at cornerback, came up big again and intercepted a pass from Panthers quarterback Drew Campbell at the Gilroy 48.
It was deja vu for the senior.
“Last year (against Burlingame), I had the same interception on the same route late in the game,” Sweeney said, referring to the Mustangs’ 23-21 win over the Panthers to kick off the 2004 season.
Gilroy got two first downs and ran down the last two and a half minutes to grind out the win.
Gilroy’s game plan was to stop Burlingame’s running game, anchored by all-league performer Gabe Weisbarth. But the Panthers switched things up after the ‘Stangs slowed the run early.
“I thought they were going to use the play action spread (sparingly),” said Gilroy head coach Darren Yafai. “But they made adjustments and began throwing short routes, picking up five to eight yards of chunk at a time.”
Gilroy made things look easy in the first quarter, building a 14-0 lead in five minutes of play on Sweeney’s touchdowns and two PATs from kicker Neil Martin.
With 1:37 left in the first quarter, Burlingame’s Weisbarth scored the Panthers’ first touchdown of the night and Vince Riggio nailed the extra point. The following offensive drive from the Mustangs was interrupted when Burlingame’s Julian Strickland intercepted a Tovar pass. The Panthers capitalized on the turnover and a one-yard Weisbarth push into the end zone and successful extra point tied the game at 14-14 with 8:43 to play until halftime.
After a Gilroy drive that was highlighted by a 27-yard pass and run from Tovar to Sweeney, the running back scored his third touchdown for Gilroy on an up and over run from two yards out. The ‘Stangs headed into the lockeroom with a 21-14 lead at halftime.
Halfway through the third quarter, Gilroy junior Vince Giacalone recovered a blocked Burlingame field goal attempt that his teammates batted into the open field, which set up Sweeney for his last touchdown of the night, a 57-yard sprint down the left sideline.
JVS COME UP BIG
Gilroy’s JVs beat Burlingame’s Frosh-Soph team 26-18 before Friday’s varsity clash. Travis Reyes (2 TDs) and Stephen Gutierrez (1 TD) both scored on runs.
