OAKLAND – Jaivian Thomas ran for 4 touchdowns, each seemingly extra unbelievable than the final.
But it surely was the senior’s non-scoring scamper deep late within the sport that was presumably essentially the most consequential of his carries. McClymonds was reeling, having blown a 21-point lead within the fourth quarter, and was now tied 42 apiece in opposition to visiting San Ramon Valley.
The Warriors wanted a play to go their approach.
And as he had achieved all evening, Thomas’ legs gave McClymonds what it wanted as he led the Oakland powerhouse to an exhilarating 45-42 non-league victory.
He took the handoff across the 30-yard line and evaded one tackler. Then one other whiffed as Thomas accelerated downfield.
By the point the Wolves received him on the bottom, Thomas had run for 41 yards that reclaimed some momentum. Just a few extra carries received McClymonds into scoring vary, and Isaac Espinosa kicked a brief subject purpose for the decisive factors.
“I attempt to get into the tip zone each time I contact the ball, however I wouldn’t be capable of do this with out my linemen,” Thomas mentioned. “My linemen, they work the toughest.”
However that also gave San Ramon Valley quarterback Luke Baker two and a half minutes to work with. The junior quarterback had been nothing in need of herculean in opposition to McClymonds’ vaunted go rush, finishing 39 of his 57 makes an attempt as he threw for 500 yards and 5 touchdowns. He was in a position to drive the workforce downfield, however McClymonds held agency on its final defensive stand and compelled a protracted subject purpose that got here up quick.
“That’s a darn good soccer workforce, and to be sincere they had been approach higher than the workforce we performed final week” McClymonds coach Michael Peters mentioned, evaluating San Ramon Valley to Pittsburg. “Their quarterback was higher, and he did a fantastic job, and I’m simply joyful we pulled out the win.”
Jaivian Thomas ran for 263 yards and 5 touchdowns, and his senior backfield mate Ferrari Miller ran for 126 yards and two touchdowns as a part of a 413-yard speeding day for McClymonds. Senior Caleb Padrid was Luke Baker’s favourite goal, catching eight passes for 154 yards and two touchdowns. Padrid additionally ran for a landing. Baker threw to 9 completely different targets, whereas McClymonds’ junior receiver Tajir Golden caught 97 of the Warriors’ 100 passing yards.
Thomas opened the scoring with a four-yard landing on the workforce’s first drive, and Padrid tied the sport with 1:30 to go within the first quarter with a one-yard run up the center. The second quarter noticed Thomas rating a mystifying 25-yard landing the place he disappeared right into a mass of our bodies, jump-cut at the very least thrice, and slip away to provide the Warriors a 14-7 lead.
Baker as soon as once more tied the sport with 7:22 left within the half, rolling away from strain and heaving a 60-yard bomb to Padrid between McClymonds’ safeties. McClymonds tacked on two extra speeding touchdowns earlier than halftime, the primary one other elusive sprint by Thomas for 18 yards and a rating.
The second occurred within the remaining minute. Following quarterback Deontae Faison’s rainbow go to Golden for 46 yards, Ferrari Miller bowled into the endzone from 4 yards away with 10 seconds left within the half. McClymonds led 28-14 and didn’t decelerate within the third quarter.
Thomas ran for one more 16-yard landing two minutes into the half, after which Miller trucked a defender 5 minutes later to provide McClymonds a 42-21 lead. Even when San Ramon Valley received on the scoreboard, because it did when Baker linked with Trevor Scott for a 13-yard landing go, it was solely doable as a result of Baker threw it to Scott’s back-shoulder on a really tough play.
“I heard that he was finishing 73 p.c of his passes this 12 months,” Peters mentioned, clearly impressed with Baker’s accuracy. “Properly now he is likely to be finishing 93 p.c of them after tonight.”
San Ramon Valley then staged a fantastic near-comeback, one which began a number of seconds into the fourth when tight finish Marco Jones caught a two-yard landing on the primary play of the quarter. After McClymonds’ subsequent drive fizzled out, Baker and the offense made it 42-35 when Scott ripped down the center of the sector on a 35-yard put up route.
The Wolves then recovered a fumble on the following kickoff and promptly marched downfield. Because the workforce had achieved all evening, Baker threw quick and let his receivers work after the catch. This technique stymied McClymond’s nice go rushers corresponding to Malik Richardson. And once they did get strain on the quarterback, the good athlete evaded strain and made correct throws downfield.
His final landing toss was one other deep shot that tore via McClymonds’ secondary, a 35-yard landing to Padrid that tied the sport with 5:47 left on the clock. However utilizing Thomas’ expertise and strong blocking, McClymonds ran the ball downfield to take a lead it could not relinquish. McClymonds is now 4-1, whereas San Ramon Valley is 5-1 after its first lack of the season.
“It’s a surreal expertise, as a result of we got here again and rapidly it was tied,” San Ramon Valley coach Aaron Becker mentioned. “However then the remaining occurred. However hey, you by no means know what can occur. You by no means know.”
