Sweeney rushes for a team-high 63 yards in 42-14 home loss to
North Salinas
GILROY – Sophomore Justin Sweeney was brought up from junior varsity to add a spark to the Gilroy High football team’s struggling offensive unit. For the second straight game, the late-season call-up did all he could to provide such a spark – rushing for a team-high 63 yards on only six carries.
Unfortunately, Friday’s home game against North Salinas was already well out of hand with just under four minutes remaining and Gilroy trailing by 35 points when Sweeney got his number called.
“That’s why we brought him up,” said head coach Darren Yafai of Sweeney. “He’s a heck of a ball player and he was tearing it up on the JV team. He was a man among boys on the JV team and we got to a point in the season where we said we need to find another weapon, another spark. And also get him ready, a little more prepared for next year.”
Sweeney was enjoying an undefeated 7-0 run on the junior varsity squad – but jumped on the opportunity to move up to the varsity ranks. Even if that meant absorbing a 42-14 varsity loss to the Vikings.
“Varsity is the level you want to play at,” said Sweeney, who rushed for 31 yards on four carries in last week’s 27-0 loss to Palma. “I didn’t think I was (going to get many carries this week) because Marty (Sustaita) was hurt so they moved me up and then he was back and then he got hurt again so they put me in. I got some playing time.”
Sustaita was forced to leave the Hollister game with an injured ankle and sat out last week’s loss to Palma – but he suited up and rushed for 17 yards on two carries against North Salinas.
“We have seven sophomores on the varsity team so we should be better next year,” Sweeney said. “It’s a big difference from JV. It’s a lot bigger guys, stronger guys… I’ve just been doing my thing that I usually do – run the ball.”
Senior tailback Melvin Bryant remained the workhorse in the Mustang backfield – finishing with 52 punishing yards on 21 carries – but Gilroy (0-4 in T-CAL, 3-5-1 overall) could not match the firepower of North Salinas.
“We just did not come to play tonight,” Yafai said. “(North Salinas) is a senior-dominated team with a ton of weapons that put up 50 points on every other game they play this year and we knew that was going to be a major battle. But we did not rise to the battle.”
The Vikings jumped out to a 7-0 lead in the first quarter when senior receiver Merseny Woo scored on a 42-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Brandon Olden. Gilroy came right back – evening the score on a 22-yard touchdown hook-up from senior quarterback Ben Hemeon to junior receiver Jordan Newton. But Woo ran back the ensuing kick-off for an 85-yard touchdown return to put the Mustangs behind 14-7.
The Gilroy offense could not find the end zone again until the final minutes of the fourth quarter as Hemeon (6/12, 100 yards, INT), back-up quarterback Peter Mickartz (0/2, 2 INTs) and Bryant on a halfback option pass combined for four interceptions.
“We thought we were going to have to play great for us to be able to get this done,” Yafai said, “And instead of rising up and playing above our heads and playing a great game, we lost our heads, made mental mistakes, didn’t execute, and were real sporadic on offense.”
Meanwhile, North Salinas continued to extend on its lead – getting touchdowns from senior tailback Ronnie Drummer on runs of 30 and 42 yards, senior fullback Ronnie Campbell on a one-yard dive, and senior Selwyn Daye from 23 yards out.
“Amazing athletes. Good quarterback. Real big upfront,” said Yafai of North Salinas.
Gilroy threatened to cut the gap to one touchdown in the second quarter – but Hemeon’s pass from the Vikings’ 25-yard line was intercepted. On the Mustangs’ final possession of the first half, Hemeon threw two incomplete passes with the first down marker two yards away. On the second, senior tight end Brian Teeling slid to the ground and had his hands on the ball but could not hold on.
“We would have a great play on offense and then we would shoot ourselves in the foot,” Yafai said. “All of us, coaches and players altogether, we all have holes in our feet because all we did all night was shoot ourselves in the feet.”
Even a quarterback change to Mickartz to open the second half did not help the Mustangs as the second-stringer was picked off on his first pass attempt after his bullet pass went right through the hands of Teeling and into a North Salinas defensive back. After the Vikings extended to a 28-7 lead in the third quarter, Mickartz tossed his second interception – trying to get the ball to Newton from the North Salinas’ 45-yard line.
“I could make excuses about this or that, but the bottom-line is we did not come to play today,” Yafai said. “It was a collective effort to lose this game. Coaches, players, we as a group did not get it done.”
Senior linebacker Danny Melendez was ejected from the game for throwing a punch during a skirmish on the North Salinas’ sideline. On the play, Gilroy was flagged with a late hit and both teams were flagged for dead ball personal fouls. Since Melendez threw a punch, he was ejected and will have to sit out the final game of the season.
Once the game returned to action, North Salinas scored another third-quarter touchdown for a commanding 35-7 lead. Behind the running of Sweeney, the Mustangs moved into North Salinas territory. But Bryant threw his interception to end the drive.
Following a sixth and final Vikings’ touchdown, Gilroy finally added to its total on Hemeon’s six-yard touchdown run.
“I know everybody, especially players and coaches, wants to win this year and we’re going to do anything by any means necessary to try to get a win against Live Oak,” said Yafai, whose squad will close out the season Friday in Morgan Hill. “It’s all for pride right now. The way I look at it is on the field if we win this one, we finish above .500. We know that we won five games and lost four so it’s all for pride.”
The Mustangs opened the season on a four-game winning streak, but have since had one of those wins stripped away against San Lorenzo Valley due to an ineligible player and then went on to tie Alvarez and drop four straight against Salinas, Hollister, Palma, and North Salinas.
“We’re playing against good football team. All four of those teams have a shot at the playoffs,” Yafai said. “Palma right now is 7-2, undefeated in league. These guys are 5-4 if they win next week they go in. Salinas is headed to the playoffs. Hollister right now is 7-1. If they win tonight, they’re 8-1. Hollister is a lock already in the playoffs. Those four teams are playoff bound.”
In other action, the Gilroy High junior varsity team dominated in a 43-7 victory over North Salinas, while the Mustang frosh squad notched a 35-15 win.
