By Kevin Askeland
MaxPreps.com
Close games highlighted by last-minute, game-deciding plays highlighted several of this week's Top 10 Games to Watch.
Hart 31, Canyon 28
It was a night of firsts for Hart's Johnny MacArthur. The first-year player had his first interception to halt a Canyon drive with 11.6 seconds left in the game. Following Delano Howell's 58-yard run, MacArthur kicked his first field goal of the season, a gamewinning 43-yard kick that gave the Indians a 31-28 win over Canyon and ended a four-year losing streak to the Cowboys. Canyon overcame a 22-point deficit in the second half, including 15 points in the fourth quarter, to tie the game at 28-28. The Cowboys were driving toward the gamewinning touchdown when McArthur picked off a Sean Galvin pas and gave Hart possession. Howell finished with 207 yards on 27 carries and two touchdowns. His Canyon counterpart, Jordan Ferguson, finished with 155 yards on 24 carries and one score. Gavin completed 16 of 24 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown. He also rushed for two scores, but had two interceptions. The Indians stay unbeaten with the win at 6-0 while Canyon fell to 2-4.
Bellarmine 20, Valley Christian 14
The Bells needed a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Usua Amanam to clip Valley Christian 20-14. Neither team scored in the second half until Amanam crossed the goal line for the winning score. He finished with 188 yards on 27 carries. Quarterback Austyn Carta-Samuels had Bellarmine's other two scores on a short runs. Bellarmine is undefeated at 7-0 and is ranked No. 1 in the Central Coast Section. Valley Christian falls to 3-2-1 and has lost or tied its last three games.
Oceanside 31, Carlsbad 7
Oceanside ended Carlsbad's 25-game unbeaten streak with a dominating performance in a 31-7 victory. Oceanside dominated on defense, limiting Carlsbad to 99 yards of total offense and just 23 yards rushing. Armani Taylor ran for 116 yards on 22 carries for Oceanside and four touchdowns while Jordan Wynn completed 17 of 28 passes for 223 yards. See Story.
Del Oro 16, Roseville 13
In their toughest test of the season to date, the Golden Eagles won a defensive battle against the unbeaten Tigers, 16-13, to up their record to 6-0. Playing in the Sierra Foothill League, in which five teams, Del Oro, Roseville, Rocklin, Granite Bay and Oakmont, had a combined record of 23-2 entering the night, the Golden Eagles established themselves as the team to beat, and possibly the top team in the Division 2 NorCal bowl rankings, with the win. Mike Makela had 131 yards on 21 carries and a touchdown. Del Oro quarterback Cole Saunders added 193 yards passing while completing 11 of 16 passes. Hunter Pahl, despite just 13 yards rushing, added to his touchdown total with a 6-yard run in the first quarter. He has 14 touchdowns on the season.
San Ramon Valley 10, California 9
The Grizzlies saw their unbeaten season come to an end after a missed extra point cost them in a 10-9 loss to San Ramon Valley. Kai Cummings was a huge factor on defense for San Ramon Valley. Besides recovering a fumble in the end zone for the SRV's only touchdown, he also had three sacks on the night and an additional fumble recovery. One of Cumming's sacks forced California to settle for a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter. California scored on a 31-yard pass from Nick Spalliero to Andrew Hunting with 15 seconds left in the game, but the Grizzly's extra point attempt failed, giving SRV the victory. San Ramon Valley is undefeated at 5-0-1 while California falls to 5-1.
Cardinal Newman 35, Montgomery 27
An onside kick went awry for the Montgomery Vikings and allowed the Cardinal Newman Cardinals to secure a 35-27 win in North Bay League action. Trailing 28-20, Montgomery tried an onside kick. However, Cardinal Joe Ferguson picked up the bouncing ball and returned it 45 yards for the clinching touchdown. The Vikings added a later score, but were unable to overcome the 15-point advantage. Montgomery racked up 241 yards rushing on the night including 82 yards by Jeff Marks. Max Pond played a solid game for the Cardinals, completing 10 of 12 passes for 109 yards.
Pleasant Valley 13, Chico 12
For the second year in a row, the Vikings shocked the Panthers in the waning minutes of the game with a defensive stand and a long pass play. Trailing 12-7 in the final minutes, Pleasant Valley stopped a Chico drive at its own 20-yard line. A few plays later, quarterback Eric Hoffman threw to Sean Reynolds, who got past one defender and sprinted 48 yards to the end zone for the winning score. The victory keeps Pleasant Valley undefeated on the season at 7-0 while Chico fell to 5-2.
Rocklin 33, Granite Bay 0
The Thunder (6-0) made a huge statement with a 33-0 win over Granite Bay and set up a titanic showdown in the Sierra Foothill League in two weeks when Rocklin faces Del Oro (6-0). The Thunder used balanced attack with 232 yards rushing and 138 yards passing to shut down the Grizzlies, who were 4-1 entering the contest. Kevin O'Brien was 10 of 13 for 132 yards and two touchdowns, both to Chris Garrison who finished with three catches for 72 yards. Nick Patrikios ran 19 times for 83 yards to lead the rushing attack.
Poly 28, Millikan 14
Poly established itself as the team to beat in Long Beach with a 28-14 win over previously unbeaten Millikan. Youth led the way for Poly as junior Melvin Richardson ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns while sophomore Cory Westbrook added 95 yards on the ground. Poly has won 69 straight Moore League games, according to the Long Beach Press Telegram. Poly played without starting quarterback Morgan Fennell, forcing coach Raul Lara to move receiver Randall Cox behind center.
Manteca 13, Sonora 0
Two teams entered Friday night action with 25-game unbeaten streaks, and the Buffaloes were the only ones to survive following a 13-0 win over Sonora. Both Manteca and Carlsbad had not lost in 25 straight games, although Carlsbad had two ties during the streak. The Lancers lost to Oceanside, ending their long streak. Manteca's 26-game winning streak is the longest in the state. Jake Salamoni keyed both of Manteca's touchdowns. He scored on a 10-yard run and he also forced a fumble that resulted in a 16-yard return by Tim Larson. Manteca faces another tough test this week when it takes on 5-1 Oakdale.