GILROY—The Cougars have been dealt several inconsistencies this season. The loss of their head coach, injuries to standout players and the struggles of playing in the Gabilan Division have thrown a wrench in their year, but at least one thing has stayed the same. The Severance Bell is still theirs.
Christopher head coach Tim Pierleoni returned from sabbatical for 6th annual Severance Bowl and led his team to a 37-14 victory Friday, the first at the Don Christopher Sports Complex and fifth straight for the Cougars. Pierleoni hasn’t been with his team since its 41-0 loss to Hillsdale Sept. 25 as he stepped down to be with his wife, Jennifer, who is battling breast cancer.
“I’m just happy that I was able to come in and help the kids, help the team, help the coaches and get ourselves a victory,” an emotional Pierleoni said after the game. “I wouldn’t come out and do this unless my wife (Jennifer) gave me the A-OK…I have to thank her more than anything for letting me do this.”
Pierleoni wasn’t the only one who returned to the Cougars this week. Senior quarterback Matt Adamkiewicz came back from a shoulder injury to play a lethal first half. He struck for 261 yards and four touchdowns—one receiving—on 13 completions. He and senior wide receiver PJ Reichert connected on all four scores.
Reichert led Cougar receivers with eight catches for 159 yards. With two touchdowns under his belt—one for 18 yards and the other for 50—Reichert lined up under center and hit Adamkiewicz for a 15-yard score with 9:03 left in the second to put his team up 20-7.
Adamkiewicz looked for Reichert again as the clock would down in the first half before he was intercepted. But Gilroy fumbled the pick and Reichert recovered it at the Mustangs’ 2-yard-line. The seniors connected for a touchdown on the next play, putting the Cougars up 34-7 at halftime.
“I’m on top of the world right now especially after everything that’s happened,” Reichert said. “Me and Matt, he came back from that injury, and we picked up where we left off. It was awesome.”
Christopher’s Octavio Llamas-Jimenez nailed a 22-yard field goal with 29.9 seconds left in the third for the game’s final score.
Across the field, Gilroy’s Jon Jon Castro shined in his Severance Bowl debut. The sophomore finished 8 for 16 with 196 yards and two touchdowns.
Castro connected with Charles Good for a 24-yard score to kick off the second quarter to tie the game at 7-all. A few plays earlier, Castro exploded up the middle for 32-yard keeper, which brought his team into Cougar territory.
The Mustang QB struck again with 9:14 left to play. He hit Matthew Griffith for a 48-yard gain to get into the redzone. Two plays later, Castro strolled into the endzone for a 12-yard rushing touchdown.
Though it was his first time playing in the crosstown clash, Castro said Gilroy head coach Jubenal Rodriguez prepared him for it. That said, he wished the result was different.
“It’s always going to be a tough loss,” Castro said. “It’s Christopher, the rivalry game you know? Like coach said, it’s just the way we come back and it’ll make us work harder. We don’t stop; we don’t slow down. We just keep going.”
Both quarterbacks had their share of mistakes. Adamkiewicz was picked off three times and Castro was intercepted twice. But the first was by far the worst as the Mustang’s pass was nabbed by Matthew Olivier and returned 72 yards for a touchdown in the first quarter.
Olivier, who Pierleoni calls his most improved player, had a breakout game. In addition to his Pick-6, the Cougar also had a sack and three tackles.
“I just tried to play my heart out for the seniors,” a beaming Olivier said. “That’s my first varsity touchdown and probably the biggest moment of my football career.”
Ryan Adamkiewicz took over at quarterback after the break and finished 6 for 12 for 83 yards. The junior found Noah Libertore for a touchdown with 7:14 left in the third, but it was called back thanks to a personal foul penalty.
The Cougars kept the flags flying all night, drawing 16 penalties in the game. Twelve of those came in the first half, causing it last an hour and 40 minutes.
Gilroy had its fair share of miscues, too. The Mustangs fumbled the ball five times, losing it twice to Christopher. Gilroy head coach Jubenal Rodriguez tipped his hat to Pierleoni and the Cougars, saying the loss only makes his team hungrier for next week.
“I have a lot of respect for Pierleoni and his program. He’s built it from the ground up,” Rodriguez said. “Those kids are weightroom-strong. I told the seniors that it’s obviously not the outcome we wanted, but the season is not over yet. We still control our own destiny.”
Noe Garcia was a bright spot for Gilroy. On defense, he racked up five tackles and led the Mustangs on the ground with eight carries for 62 yards. Griffith led the receivers with three catches for 77 yards.
Gilroy (2-4 overall, 1-1 in league) returns to league action when it hosts Seaside at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 23 for its homecoming game. The Spartans (4-3 overall, 2-1 in league) are coming off a 17-14 win over Alisal this week.
“Any team can beat anybody at any given week,” Rodriguez said. “…I want the seniors to come out with a victory. It’s their last time. The season is not over, so we’ll see how the kids respond to that.”
Christopher (2-4 overall, 0-2 in league) faces a tall task when it hosts San Benito at 7:30 p.m. next week. The Balers annihilated Alvarez 63-6 this week at home.
Though Pierleoni won’t be on the sidelines next week, he’s confident his team will bring it’s A-game.
“I love the kids and I love what I do. Now I’m going to go back and love my wife with all I have and be with her as much as I can,” he said. “We’re going to fight a battle that we need to fight.”
