It was only fitting.
Gilroy High’s Justin Sweeney had already run for over 150 yards
and a key second-half touchdown.
It was only fitting.
Gilroy High’s Justin Sweeney had already run for over 150 yards and a key second-half touchdown.
So when highly-touted Burlingame quarterback Drew Schiller dropped back to pass with less than five minutes remaining and his team trailing by two, who do you think made the crucial interception?
Who else.
“That was a huge pick by Justin,” Mustangs’ coach Darren Yafai said. “The guy was all over the place.
“He’s actually one of our better defensive backs, but we have to use him a lot at tailback.”
Oh, they used him a lot at tailback, too.
In Gilroy’s 23-21 victory over Burlingame Friday at Mustang Stadium, Sweeney ran for two touchdowns and 172 yards on 21 carries.
“We wanted to sustain the run as much as we could,” Yafai said, “so we could keep Schiller off the field.
“I think we did a good job with that.”
It was a complete effort, though, said the star of the night.
“I’ve gotta give credit to the offensive line,” Sweeney said after the game. “They did what they had to do and I did what I had to do.”
So did the defense.
Against a Panther offense with four all-league returnees and one of the top quarterbacks in the area, the Mustang D more than held its own.
It wasn’t the greatest start, though.
Expected to pass all night long, the visitors from the Peninsula Athletic League instead rushed it on nine of their first 10 plays, capping off a game-opening, 82-yard drive with a three-yard touchdown run from Ryan Gilbert.
The athletic Schiller, who has a basketball scholarship to Cal, was just 4-of-8 passing in the first half.
“That really surprised us, to be honest,” senior cornerback Shea Lemos said. “All week we heard about how much he was going to pass.”
Trailing 7-0, the Mustangs took full advantage of the game’s first blunder. After holding Gilroy to three-and-out on its opening possession, Burlingame fumbled away a punt at its own 34.
After a 24-yard jaunt and a few shorter carries, Sweeney snuck in Gilroy’s first score with three minutes left in the first quarter.
On the Mustangs’ next possession, senior quarterback Peter Mickartz, who was 9-of-12 for 102 yards in his first career start, capped off an impressive drive of his own with a short touchdown sneak. After an efficient 12-play, 57-yard drive, the Mustangs led 14-7.
After taking that lead into locker room, Gilroy exploded out of the gates with a 70-yard kickoff return by senior Marty Sustaita. The Mustangs settled for Neil Martin’s 29-yard-field goal and took a 17-7 lead.
That’s when the Panthers finally let loose Schiller.
In an incredible 16-play, 74-yard drive that chewed up nine minutes – pretty much the entire third quarter – Schiller completed 9-of-10 passes and pulled his team to within three with a minute left in the third.
“That’s what we were expecting all along,” senior strong safety Kaczoroswski said. “We also knew he could run around a lot and he started doing that, too.”
But just like that, Sweeney punched right back.
After Burlingame’s time-consuming drive, it took Gilroy just two plays and 22 seconds before Sweeney answered with a 49-yard touchdown along the right sideline.
“He’s got a penchant for big plays,” Yafai said.
Replied Sweeney: “We needed to answer.”
The Panthers didn’t go away easily, though.
After not getting much rest, the Mustangs’ defense looked tired as Burlingame marched right back with a 71-yard drive that took just two minutes.
Then, after Gilroy was forced to punt with around five minutes left in the game, the Panthers took over at their own 37, trailing just 23-21 and needing only a field goal to take the lead.
So much for that.
Senior defensive tackle Rico Loza sacked Schiller on the first play and Sweeney snagged an interception two plays later on third-and-19 at the Panther 41.
Schiller finished the night 13-of-19 for 174 yards.
After his big defensive play, Sweeney carried the ball nine yards on third-and-6. And a few plays later, Mickartz connected with tight end Steven Quistian on a game-clinching third-down pass to the 9.
Mickartz took a knee and the Mustangs took a season-opening victory.
“It got a little too tense there at the end,” Lemos said. “But we got the win, and that’s always big in the first game.
“Hopefully this will set the tone for the rest of the season.”
