Last-minute Sweeney scamper gives GHS 13-6 CCS playoff win over
Independence
San Jose – With one second remaining Saturday and Gilroy leading 13-6, Independence had the ball around midfield and was looking for one last shot at the end zone. One last shot at a CCS first-round playoff win.
Wary of Gilroy’s pesky John Torres and knowing their quarterback needed some time, a tackle and a guard on the 76ers’ massive offensive line conferred just before the final play.
“They were talking with each other,” Torres recalled, “and they said, ‘We need to put him on his back.'”
A few seconds later, the GHS senior was putting the Sixer quarterback on his back and the Mustangs were celebrating Gilroy’s first playoff victory in nearly two decades.
“It feels great … pulling it off in the last minute,” Torres said between breaths. “We’re making history. It’s the best feeling ever right now.”
On a night when both GHS lines dominated in the trenches against significantly larger competition, it was only appropriate that Torres, also a starting guard on the O-line, would end it in such a way.
And on a night when he chewed up 267 yards on the ground, it was only appropriate that Gilroy tailback Justin Sweeney, playing behind that dominant O-line, would win it in such a way.
Just moments before the defense’s final stand, fifth-seeded Gilroy (8-3) faced a 3rd-and-9 when it handed it off to Sweeney for a season-high 40th time.
“I was just trying to get a first down,” he would say after the game.
He got, of course, much more than he bargained for. With just 25 seconds left on the clock, Sweeney got a 30-yard touchdown that capped off the Mustangs’ clutch, 73-yard drive.
On this memorable night, however, it became exceedingly difficult to pinpoint just one star in Gilroy’s first playoff victory since 1985, also the year of the program’s last eight-win team.
Maybe it was the entire offensive line, which emphatically regained its swagger after struggling a bit toward the end of the regular season.
“The key was the O-line,” Sweeney said. “They just kept wearing out those big guys (Independence) had.”
Maybe it was Z-back Louie Gutierrez. The senior not only kept the final drive alive with a 7-yard gain on a 4th-and-2 inside GHS territory, but also levied a block that allowed Sweeney to make into the end zone.
“The safety came up,” Gutierrez said, “and I just laid him out.”
Or maybe it was senior wide receiver Jorden Newton, who did the same to a cornerback earlier in the run
Then again, maybe it was placekicker Neil Martin, who hadn’t attempted a field goal since an Oct. 22 game at Palma. The junior not only hit a 26-yard field goal to give Gilroy a 3-0 halftime lead, but also tied the game at 6 with a 37-yarder early in the fourth quarter.
“I was definitely a little nervous,” Martin said. “The main thing to me was that I just didn’t want to let my teammates down.”
Or maybe it was cornerback Shea Lemos. The senior missed an open-field tackle during what turned into a 56-yard TD reception in the third, but came right back and blocked the extra point, which allowed Martin’s field goal to draw the Mustangs even.
According to Lemos, maybe it was even the raucous Gilroy fans, many of which joined the team on the field after the game. The large contingent, which easily outnumbered the home crowd, was so loud at one point they appeared to play a factor in a delay-of-game penalty by the Sixers (7-3-1) during the fourth quarter.
“How many times does that happen on the road?” Lemos said. “That was our 12th man on the field right there.”
Then again, maybe it was simply that ferocious Gilroy D that rattled the Independence offense, a usually explosive unit that was anchored by a O-line that averaged 285 pounds.
Simply put, the game plan coaxed up by defensive coordinator Greg Garcia worked to absolute perfection. Garcia and other coaches – and even former assistant Rich Hammond – tirelessly broke down 76er film and narrowed the Independence offense down into 11 formations.
“Everything they had,” senior defensive end Kevin Collins said, “we had something in response.”
During college-like practices last week, the defense learned checks for all 11 of those formations – and it showed during the game.
“It was like we were in the huddle with them,” senior linebacker Joe Cano said. “That’s what it felt like.”
The numbers don’t lie. An offense that averaged nearly 30 points a game was held to just six. And an vaunted running game that averaged nearly 300 yards was held to a stunning 68.
“That was one of the best defensive efforts I’ve ever seen out of a Gilroy defense,” GHS head coach Darren Yafai said.
“The strength of that team is running the ball and we forced them to put it in the air. It was just an incredible job against the run.”
For Gilroy, it’s now off to Friday’s semifinal game against No. 1 Oak Grove (9-2), a 54-13 winner over Live Oak. The Mustangs, 6-0 on the road this season, will travel to San Jose City College for the 3pm game.
In the immediate aftermath of Saturday’s victory, though, there was no point in looking ahead. Yafai, a member of that ’85 team, simply want to soak up the moment on the same field where his Mustangs won a playoff game 19 years ago.
“The community should be proud of this team,” he said after his first playoff victory as a head coach. “They were the first in 19 seasons to do a couple of different things, and to me, that is a little history. I know they earned it, too.
“They’ve worked as hard as any varsity team I’ve ever been around.”
Drive of the game: After the defense denied Independence on a 4th-and-2 at the Gilroy 27, the Mustang offense took over with six minutes to go and ran the clock all the way down to 25 seconds before Justin Sweeney scored from 30 yards out on a 3rd-and-15. The 73-yard drive included four first downs, one of which came on a 7-yard run by Louie Gutierrez on 4th-and-2 at the GHS 46.
Tireless players of the game: In an obvious must-win situation, several Mustangs contributed significant time on both sides of the ball: Bobby Best (OL, DL), Joe Cano (FB, LB), Armando Franco (OL, DL), Jared Gamm (WR, FS), Chris Hernandez (TE, LB), Taylor Micali (TE, LB) and John Torres (OL, DL).
Up Next: vs. Oak Grove, Friday (3 p.m.), San Jose City College
