The Gilroy Mustangs were so close to victory they could taste it.
Bubba Lara was on the one-yard line, but was shutdown by the Monte Vista Christian defense to deny Gilroy (1-2) what would’ve been the difference making touchdown just before halftime. Instead, MVC defended its house, winning 23-19 on Sept. 21 in Santa Cruz.
While going to the ground, MVC’s defensive lineman Shawn Hopkins tried to wrestle the ball away from Lara, which led to a scuffle among the players. The ball was never spotted and the clock expired on Gilroy, which had no timeouts left. That play would be the haunting difference maker in the game.
“A few of the kids that don’t get very emotional after games we’re pretty emotional because they knew they should’ve won that game,” Mustangs coach Brian Boyd said. “My kid (Brandon Boyd) is one of them. He doesn’t show too much emotion, but he was pretty upset. It’s upsetting when you’re a better football team and you just know it.”
It was another strong showing for Gilroy’s star running back Brandon Boyd. He had all three scores for the Mustangs — from the 22, 45 and 14-yard lines — and had 325 yards in the game. Heading into Week 4, Boyd maintains his spots atop the Monterey Bay League and Central Coast Section as the leading rusher with 900 yards on 94 carries and 10 touchdowns. Boyd is currently No. 6 in the state according to MaxPreps.com.
Brandon Boyd, however, will be limited in his carries this week in order to maintain his longevity for the season. He’ll share some of the rushing load with David Montes, but the Mustangs estimate Brandon Boyd will see about 20-25 carries tonight as he goes for the 1,000-yard mark.
“I know he knows his numbers, but he’s really quiet about it,” Coach Brian Boyd said. “He’s not going to broadcast what he wants, but I think he’s got a chance at breaking some records. …This week we’ll get him some yards and then get him out of there.”
MVC (2-1) was successfully able to shutdown sophomore quarterback David Munoz, limiting him to a 9 for 27 showing for only 69 yards. In order to be successful this week against Gonzales, Brian Boyd said that Gilroy must return to the balanced offense it saw in Week 1 and 2.
The young Gilroy defense has remained consistent, however. It was successful in holding back MVC, giving up only 103 total yards in the first half despite its opponent starting six offensive drives in Gilroy territory.
The Gilroy defense is led by seniors Isaiah Madolora, who is tied for a league leading five sacks, and Julian Carabajal who leads the lead in tackles with 33 — eight of which came against MVC. But the unsung hero and GHS Defensive Player of the Week was Noe Garcia — who is third in the league in tackles. Garcia had 10 tackles against MVC and the Mustangs hope he continues his success this week.
The Mustangs will take be back at home to face Gonzales (0-2) at 7:30 p.m. Friday. The Spartans lost 57-28 to Pajaro Valley last week, giving up 600 total yards of offense against them.
Gilroy will be without the services of kicker Alex Vega who is sidelined with a twisted ankle for at two to three weeks. The Mustangs may also have to make do without DE Kyle Loera, who may be suffering a concussion. Gilroy is hoping it has plenty of depth to fill these voids and pick up a ‘W’ tonight.
“We definitely have to win the game and go into playing Watsonville — our first league game — with some momentum,” Brian Boyd said. “We’ll be alright. Our goal is not let them score this week and we’re going to see what happens. They (Gonzales) have scored on pretty much everybody they’ve played… We’ll see what happens anybody can win on any day.”
Andrew Matheson, a reporter for the Santa Cruz Sentinel, contributed to this report.
Gilroy’s Brandon Boyd will go for the 1,000-yard mark against Gonzales. Boyd has 900 yards on 94 carries and 10 touchdowns through three weeks of play.
