GILROY—If a few things went differently, Gavilan could’ve secured its first win on Sept. 12. One less penalty or fumble, one more completion or tackle and the Rams might’ve headed home victorious. Instead, they fell 32-29 to Mendocino at Christopher High. And coach Mike Dovenberg is determined not to let that happen again.
“We started out slow and had a couple crucial miscues,” Dovenberg said. “That’s football; it’s a game of inches and details.”
Gavilan fumbled the ball five times against Mendocino, but lost it just once. The offensive line struggled to protect quarterback Sterling Montgomery as he was sacked four times for a loss of 27 yards and accounted for -60 yards on the on the ground.
But it wasn’t all doom and gloom.
The Rams showed significantly better discipline, cutting their penalties from 17 in Week 1 to 10 in Week 2. They upped their efficiency in the air, too. Montgomery accrued just 118 passing yards in the opener. This time, he had 211 with two touchdowns.
“We all realize we got better. There’s a big jump from Game 1 to Game 2 as far as performance,” Dovenberg said. “We all want to win and we want to win very, very badly. We’re still hungry. What I’m proud of is they stayed united and together as a team.”
The Rams quickly found themselves in a hole, trailing 19-0 with less than 10 minutes to play in the second quarter. Adam Garza broke free for a 46-yard rushing touchdown minutes later for Gavilan’s first score. Anthony Brooks successfully ran in the ball for a 2-point conversion, cutting Mendocino’s lead in half at 19-8.
Gavilan got within striking distance off a 62-yard pass from Montgomery to Gus Konadu as the halftime buzzer sounded. Justin Keathley-Deras’ kick was good, and the Rams trailed 19-15 at the break.
Mendocino struck first after the half. Gavilan got within three points when Montgomery hit Devin Carpenter for a 41-yard pass with just 15 ticks left on the clock in the third. The Rams scored again early in the fourth off a 28-yard run from Brooks to take a 29-25 lead, but Mendocino scored within the final minute to win.
Brooks led the Rams on the ground with nine carries for 61 yards. Konadu was the leading receiving, tallying 76 yards off three catches and a touchdown.
Now Gavilan sets its sights on Yuba.
Both teams find themselves with 0-2 records and are hungry for their first ‘W.’ The 49ers are looking to regroup after their 28-6 loss to Merced. They were limited offensively, seeing both QBs—Josh Pisik and Jackson Hopking—throw for less than 100 yards apiece. LeRoy Wilson was the leading performer for Yuba, gaining 104 yards on 19 carries in Week 2.
Like Gavilan, Yuba’s performance had its fair share of miscues. The 49ers had 12 penalties and were intercepted three times. They were able to gain more offensive yardage than the Rams, however, racking up 343 to Gavilan’s 292.
Despite Yuba’s record, Dovenberg and the Rams know a Week 3 win won’t come easily. Dovenberg said he knows the 49ers are better than their record shows, but so is Gavilan.
“It’ll be a good test of where we’re at mentally and how we deal with some adversity,” the Rams coach said. “It’ll be a test for them, too. I think we have a really strong core of this team that can hold us together and we go out and fight another one.”
Gavilan will need to limit its mistakes and protect the QB better if they want to get into the win column this week. Dovenberg said managing Yuba’s defensive line and shutting down its run game will also be crucial. If they can keep all those things in check, he sees no reason why the Rams won’t taste victory this week.
“If we can manage that, I know we can throw the ball around a little bit on them,” Dovenberg said. “I think if we can force them to get out of their game a little bit, if we can make them uncomfortable, we can give ourselves a really good chance.”
The two teams clash at 6 p.m. Saturday in Marysville.
