When it rains, it pours.
For the Gilroy High football team, it hailed on Homecoming.
When it rains, it pours.
For the Gilroy High football team, it hailed on Homecoming.
Just about everything that could go wrong did go wrong for the Mustangs, who turned it over five times and were outgained by nearly 300 yards in a stunning 32-8 loss to Salinas Friday.
“No excuses. It was just a good ol’ butt kicking,” GHS head coach Darren Yafai said. “They out-hit us, out-executed us … they outplayed us in every aspect of the game.
“It just wasn’t our night.”
That much was clear from the opening kickoff.
Salinas, just 2-6 but coming off a pair of heartbreaking losses to Live Oak and Hollister, recovered an onside kick to start the game and five plays later took a 7-0 lead.
The Gilroy offense, such quick-starting unit all year long, simply never got on track. On the first drive, Z-back Louie Gutierrez fumbled inside GHS territory.
On the very next play, the Cowboys’ Daniel Quair coasted in from 44 yards out. One two-point conversion later and it was suddenly 15-0 less than four minutes into the game.
“To start like that was huge,” Salinas head coach Mike Ironside said. “We haven’t done that all year.”
Although they stalled twice deep in GHS territory – once on a fumble, the other on a muffed field goal – the Cowboys and their triple-option offense rolled up 183 yards in the first quarter alone. Gilroy managed just six.
The Mustangs did show some life on a 10-play, 75-yard drive that was capped off with Jorden Newton’s 19-yard touchdown catch from Peter Mickartz. A two-point conversion cut the lead to 15-8.
The score didn’t last long, though.
Salinas returned the kickoff all the way to the Gilroy 24 and added a 22-yard field goal to increase its lead to 10.
A few minutes later, Cowboys quarterback Skyler Crawford connected on a 43-yard pass and then played the option perfectly on the next play by weaving his way in for a 12-yard touchdown right before the half.
“We’re a good team, but we just haven’t had anything go our way this year,” Crawford said. “Tonight it went our way. We played our hearts out out there.”
By the time the Homecoming festivities got under way, the Cowboys had piled up 264 yards of offense, held Gilroy to two first downs and taken a 25-8 lead into the locker room.
Things got even worse after the queen was crowned.
After the GHS defense forced its second straight three-and-out, things just starting falling apart.
The ensuing punt took a strange bounce and hit the leg of an unsuspecting Jared Gamm. The Cowboys recovered and easily drove 61 yards for a 32-8 lead.
After that, the Mustangs had three more drives.
Star tailback Justin Sweeney, held to just 51 yards on 14 carries, fumbled in Mustang territory. Mickartz, pressured all night long by an unrelenting Salinas D, fumbled after being crushed on a sack.
And then Mickartz, forced into a season-high 30 pass attempts due to the early deficit and ineffective running game, threw a tipped interception.
“Any time it seemed like we were putting things together, something bad would happen,” Mickartz said. “We watched film all week and knew their defense was very good.
“But it just seemed like nothing bounced our way today.”
The senior quarterback did complete 16 of his passes for 173 yards, but was beset by drop after drop from the usually reliable receivers.
“We have great wide receivers and they’ve made plays all year long,” Yafai said. “It just wasn’t their night.”
For Gilroy, it wasn’t anybody’s night. At times, the offensive line got pushed around. At times, the defense looked confused.
At times, the team – outgained in yards, 464-182 – simply looked nothing like the explosive squad that rather easily coasted to a 7-1 start.
“We played eight games of good football, but just didn’t come to play today,” Yafai said. “We thought we were ready, but Salinas was just hungrier for the win.
“They took the momentum early and never let it go.”
As Yafai told his team immediately after the game, though, it’s imperative the Mustangs let this one go.
Rival Live Oak and its surprising 7-2 record arrive in Gilroy Friday to close out the regular season.
“This game is a big shock to everyone,” offensive tackle Mitch Rodriguez said, “but we’ll be back tomorrow morning at 8:30 and we’ll be ready to go.”
“We’ll be all right. We’ve just got to move on from this and see what happens.”
