As good a season as Gilroy High had, ending it with a Central
Coast Section championship just wasn’t meant to be.
Hosting the Serra Padres Friday night in a first-round CCS Open
Division playoff game, the Mustangs saw their season end with a
45-14 defeat at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
Also with this story: video highlights from the game, video
interviews after the game and a photo gallery.
GILROY – As good a season as Gilroy High had, ending it with a Central Coast Section championship just wasn’t meant to be.
Hosting the Serra Padres Friday night in a first-round CCS Open Division playoff game, the Mustangs saw their season end with a 45-14 defeat at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
A first half of good fortune, in which Gilroy led 14-3 after two quarters, quickly gave way to an overpowering Padres team that dominated both sides of the ball in the second half.
Adonis Smith (16 carries, 130 yards) jumpstarted Serra to begin the third quarter by returning the opening kickoff 75 yards, leading to a 12-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cody Jackson two plays later. By the time the final two quarters had ended, the Padres had reeled off 42 unanswered points to face Bellarmine in the semifinals Saturday night at San Jose City College.
“We played a great first half and just couldn’t overcome the momentum there in the second half,” Gilroy coach Rich Hammond said. “They got the big kickoff return and just rolled from there.”
Serra (8-3) scored on five of its six second-half possessions, and also added a defensive touchdown on a 47-yard interception return by linebacker Danny Dealba.
In contrast, Gilroy (9-2) was held scoreless after taking a 14-3 lead into halftime through two fantastic Dante Fullard touchdown receptions (9 catches, 201 yards). The first came on a tunnel screen for 55 yards to make it 7-3 following an Ivan Lopez extra point. The second score came on an acrobatic catch of 40 yards, in which Fullard streaked up the left sideline and snatched the ball over Serra’s Eric Owens in the end zone.
A 32-yard field goal by Greg Guttas (1-for-4) was all Serra had to show for its efforts at the intermission.
“Going into the game, I thought we were a little content,” Padres coach Patrick Walsh said. “Winning the West Catholic (Athletic League) and making it to the Open, our guys were content with that. Well, I told them, ‘Gilroy is not content.’ We knew they wanted to win just as bad as we did – and the first half showed that.”
The second half showed a Gilroy team out of sync.
Jamie Jensen (18-for-31, 332 yards, two touchdowns) threw four interceptions and was sacked four times.
Serra defensive end Kyle Gschwend – who forced two Jensen fumbles, had two sacks and added a hit on Jensen to set up an interception – said getting pressure up front was the key to slowing Gilroy down.
“We were getting closer and closer to (Jensen),” Gschwend said. “Once we started getting to him, we knew we had them.”
Aided by an outstanding all-around effort by Jackson, who finished the game 10-for-16 for 156 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 15 carries for 128 yards and two more scores, the Padres’ offense was unstoppable in the second half.
DonAndre Clark caught touchdowns of 34 and 33 yards, and Jared Braun (eight carries, 83 yards) ran for a 30-yard score to help give Serra the 31-point win.
“We didn’t change anything in the second half,” Jackson said. “Basically, we just stepped it up and played with a different attitude. We were a lot more fundamentally sound.”
Addressing his team for the final time, Gilroy’s coach commended the effort his players put forth during the game, and the pride they showed over the course of 11 contests.
“If it hurts that’s a good thing, because that means you cared a ton,” Hammond said, a season’s worth of emotion welling in his eyes.
Fullard, one of more than 30 seniors playing their final game in a Gilroy uniform, said the fond memories of being a Mustang will last well beyond the sting of this last defeat.
“The last four years, it’s been amazing,” he said. “We all come together and relate on a different level. We’re gonna take this and remember it the rest of our lives.”
WEEKLY AWARDS
Offensive Play of the Game
There wasn’t a whole lot that went right in the second half, but the Mustangs had two outstanding touchdowns in the first half.
Setting up a screen pass on the left side for Dante Fullard, Gilroy executed perfectly in getting the lineman out in front while Fullard dropped back to make a catch and run for a 55-yard score. Accelerating through the middle of the field, he went untouched to help give Gilroy a 7-3 lead.
The second touchdown was a combination of two terrific plays. Quarterback Jamie Jensen lofted a precise pass down the left sideline that Fullard went up and caught at the highest point. The protection was excellent as well.
Defensive Play of the Game
Junior cornerback Nico Sandoval broke up a pivotal play with a little more than eight minutes left in the second quarter to set up Fullard’s first touchdown.
Lined up on an island with Serra’s Greg Biddle, who must have had nearly an 8-inch height advantage, Sandoval raked through the receivers arms at the perfect time to break up a fade route which would have resulted in a touchdown. Padres kicker Greg Guttas ended up missing a 25-yard field goal a play later.
Hit of the Game
Trying to mount a drive on the final possession of the first half, Serra’s DonAndre Clark caught a 6-yard pass before finding himself decleated by junior linebacker Logan Sweeney, who lifted Calrk off of his feet and then drove the Padre into the turf.
TEAM 1 2 3 4 F
Serra 3 0 21 21 45
Gilroy 0 14 0 0 14
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
KICK (3:11) – Serra, Greg Guttas, 32-yard field goal is good; 3-0, Serra.
Second Quarter
PASS (5:57) – Gilroy, Jamie Jensen to Dante Fullard, 55-yard touchdown, PAT (Ivan Lopez) is good; 7-3, Gilroy.
PASS (1:57) – Gilroy, Jamie Jensen to Dante Fullard, 40-yard touchdown, PAT (Ivan Lopez) is good; 14-3, Gilroy.
Third Quarter
RUSH (11:04) – Serra, Cody Jackson, 12-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 14-10, Gilroy.
PASS (7:31) – Serra, Cody Jackson to DonAndre Clark, 34-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 17-14, Serra.
RUSH (5:34) – Serra, Cody Jackson, 7-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 24-14, Serra.
Fourth Quarter
RUSH (11:53) – Serra, Jared Braun, 30-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 31-14, Serra.
INT. RETURN (10:39) – Serra, Danny Dealba, 47-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 38-14, Serra.
PASS (5:40) – Serra, Cody Jackson to DonAndre Clark, 33-yard touchdown, PAT (Greg Guttas) is good; 45-14, Serra.
