SALINAS — Sacred Coronary heart Prep mustn't have even been ready to tie or win its first-round CCS Division I sport.
Enjoying in “The Pit,” the vaunted house of Salinas Excessive Faculty, the host Cowboys have been up 28-14 with a bit of over three minutes to go.
Then Tyler Wong hauled in a 10-yard landing to offer SHP an opportunity. However a failed onside kick apparently doomed the workforce as soon as extra.
That was till Salinas ran out of bounds on the primary play after which threw an incomplete go on the second to assist in giving Sacred Coronary heart Prep the ball again with about 2:30 left. Salinas quarterback Adam Shaffer helplessly watched what he known as “the longest two and a half minutes of his life” from the sideline.
The Gators launched into a painful ultimate drive that will have ended at a number of factors had it not been for Salinas penalties. Senior quarterback Mitchell Taylor, together with seniors Luke Maxwell, Andrew Latu and Carter Shaw, willed the workforce downfield.
Taylor’s ultimate go with zeros on the clock got here inches away from being hauled in by Shaw within the endzone, however a Salinas defender knocked it away and the house workforce superior 28-21.
“This workforce means all the things to me,” mentioned a tearful Maxwell. “I really like every one in every of my teammates and coaches, brothers and household. This implies all the things to me. This my final time ever placing on shoulder pads and a helmet, and I’m gonna look again and keep in mind this.”
Sacred Coronary heart Prep initially thought this sport was going to be performed within the Bay Space. That was till the CCS accounted for a quirk in how the NCS handles De La Salle and the EBAL. That shifted a degree in Salinas’ favor, which was sufficient to offer the Cowboys the house sport.
Salinas went up 14-0 inside six minutes of kickoff in entrance of not less than a thousand purple-clad supporters, with Shaffer throwing one quick landing to Nyziah Hunter, who minimize throughout subject and outran the SHP secondary for a 12-yard rating.
On the subsequent drive, a frenetically-paced Salinas assault as soon as once more marched down the sector with a speedy succession of quick Shafffer passes and runs by sophomore again Dayven Marquez, who completed the sport with 150 yards and scored his solely landing of the evening on a one-yard plunge.
“He got here up mid-season, however he’s actually changed into a marquee participant for us within the final three video games,” coach Steven Zenk mentioned of Marquez.
After taking that uppercut of a primary punch, Sacred Coronary heart Prep reeled off 14 straight factors of their very own behind seniors Anthony Noto and Andrew Latu. Every discovered the endzone within the second quarter and shrugged off tacklers whereas doing it.
However after one other two-touchdown run by Salinas, the regular Sacred Coronary heart offense simply didn’t have sufficient to come back again for a second time. There have been turnovers and missed blocks on offense, and the protection faltered in locations too.
Sacred Coronary heart Prep managed the clock and ran for 210 yards, however didn't convert on a few fourth downs, and threw a pair of second-half interceptions ultimately zone. Salinas’ Shaffer ran for a slippery 40-yard landing and threw one other to Emmerson Cortez within the ultimate two quarters.
Regardless of how the sport and season unfolded, coach Mark Grieb refused to let the ending outline the group’s 2022 journey, one which noticed the workforce go 9-2 and win 9 straight video games through the common season.
“We performed arduous and that’s soccer workforce we performed tonight, and we gave them our greatest shot,” Grieb mentioned. “I don’t suppose I’m gonna look again and need I had completed this or that. I’m happy with our youngsters and what they have been in a position to do. They gave themselves an opportunity.”
As for Salinas, Friday marked the primary time in three tries that the varsity gained its opening house playoff sport for the reason that CCS went to its aggressive fairness mannequin in 2019. The No. 4 seed will probably journey to No. 1 Serra, but additionally might host No. 8 Palma if the crosstown college pulls off the monumental upset. The Cowboy quarterback made no secret of who he would moderately see subsequent week.
“Truthfully, I would like Serra,” Shaffer mentioned. “We’ve by no means performed a workforce that good, and I feel it could be fairly one thing if we might pull one thing off subsequent week.”