ATHERTON — Carter Shaw didn’t get many probabilities to point out his playmaking abilities off on Saturday. However each time Sacred Coronary heart Prep calls his quantity, like they did late of their PAL/SCVAL Bay showdown with unbeaten Half Moon Bay, Shaw doesn't lack confidence.
“When the ball’s within the air, I do know I’m getting it — that’s how it's,” stated Shaw, the son of Stanford head coach David Shaw — who attended the primary half of Saturday afternoon’s sport earlier than his Stanford workforce’s 8 p.m. sport towards Oregon State. “I come down with one thing like 90% of these “50-50” balls.”
Shaw did simply that, taking Mitchell Taylor’s floated go away from a Half Moon Bay defender for a 21-yard landing with 4:06 left that put Sacred Coronary heart Prep up for good of their 17-7 PAL/SCVAL Bay Division win in Atherton on Saturday. It was one among solely two completions on the day for the Gators, however they’ll take that one catch for the 6-foot-3, 185-pound receiver and cornerback anytime.
“He’s a man that may win 1-on-1,” Sacred Coronary heart Prep coach Mark Grieb stated of Shaw, rated as a three-star by 247 Sports activities. “I believe it’s only a matter of getting in sync and giving him a chance to make performs. And you realize, once we wanted it, he got here up massive. I used to be actually pleased with him and the best way he performed on each side of the ball.
“For him to go assault the ball, that was an enormous play within the sport.”
It began as a defensive battle, with neither workforce scoring within the first half regardless of some redzone journeys. Half Moon Bay had the higher probabilities, lacking a 37-yard discipline objective and getting contained in the Gator 10 on the waning moments of the half, however unable to attain.
“A great soccer sport between two scrappy groups that overachieve, and we ended up on the dangerous aspect of it,” Half Moon Bay coach Keith Holden stated. “We had some redzone possessions the place we got here up with nothing and that hurts. However you tip your cap to these guys as a result of they play good [defense] and did what they needed to do.”
Halfway by the third quarter, Half Moon Bay was driving in Gator territory when quarterback Liam Harrington’s go was tipped by Anthony Noto and intercepted by Andrew Rocha, who raced all the best way to the endzone for an untouched 64-yard choose six, a play that Grieb stated “modified every thing.”
“After I first tipped it, I believed, ‘Please don’t fall into the opposite workforce’s fingers,’” Noto stated. “After I noticed Rocha catch it, I simply rotated and wished to go discover somebody to dam.”
When he noticed Noto tip the ball, Rocha’s eyes have been “as massive as saucers, after which to see him blocking for me, they obtained even larger.”
Half Moon Bay’s ground-and-pound, double-wing offense was capable of construct some sturdy drives all afternoon. They answered the Gators’ landing proper again with a 15-play, 80-yard drive that took practically eight minutes off the clock and was capped by Owen Miller 5-yard run.
However Sacred Coronary heart Prep’s working sport was sturdy on the day too, even with function again Andrew Latu leaving the sport within the first half with a decrease physique harm. With Latu out, the Gators turned to Conrad Wilbur in his first sport again since tearing his ACL final 12 months within the Valparaiso Bowl.
Wilbur normally performs linebacker on protection and stated he solely had three varsity carries earlier than this 12 months. However on what turned out to be the game-winning drive, Wilbur obtained the ball thrice and picked up 13, 12 and 10 yards to get first downs and arrange Shaw’s sensational rating.
“I used to be simply itching to hit somebody, to get on the market and play — I simply wished to play so dangerous,” stated Wilbur, who didn’t begin however subbed in after Latu’s harm. “It’s been a 12 months since I’ve placed on pads. First sport again, I needed to come out firing.”
For the man Shaw known as “essentially the most slept-on participant on the workforce,” his teammates clearly liked simply seeing Wilbur again on the sphere. However they may also take Wilbur setting some key lead blocks for Noto and choose up massive runs to assist win the sport, too.
“It was tremendous inspiring simply to see him swimsuit up for observe,” Rocha stated. “That’s a man who you realize has wished it for the previous 12 months. Simply to see him get on the market and have as massive of an affect as he did, he’s actually, actually inspiring and a testomony to the spirit of this workforce.”
Notu added, “I’m so joyful he’s again. Me and him have been associates endlessly. In observe, he was tossing a number of the children — he actually couldn’t management himself as a result of he was so joyful to be again.”
Half Moon Bay (5-1, 1-1) will return to Atherton subsequent week for a 3 p.m. Friday sport at Menlo College. In the meantime, Sacred Coronary heart Prep (5-1, 1-0) will head as much as play at Burlingame at 7 p.m.
After a season-opening defeat at Sacred Coronary heart Cathedral, the Gators have received all 4 video games at dwelling and have held their opponents to precisely seven factors after they come to Atherton. Doing this regardless of shedding key gamers throughout video games has helped construct resolve on the Sacred Coronary heart Prep sideline.
“We’re simply seeking to make performs, preserve rolling by groups,” Shaw stated. “I belief my o-line, I belief my working backs — we have been right down to our third-string working backs, and for them to have the ability to drive down the sphere, that simply exhibits how good they're.”
Grieb added, “Our protection has been strong all 12 months lengthy, and so they stepped up and made performs. … We’ve obtained guys banged up, so guys needed to step in and play that haven’t been taking part in as a lot, however I believed these guys that got here within the sport and performed did an ideal job.”