THIS WAY TO SAN JOSE
Final score: Bellarmine 27, Valley Christian 16
Stars: Usua Amanam (B) 21 carries, 138 yards, 3 TDs; Cameron Marshall (VC) 22 carries, 145 yards, 2 TDs
Records: Bellarmine 6-0, Valley Christian 5-1.
State rankings coming in: Bellarine #9, Valley Christian #24.
State Bowl Northern California rankings coming in: Division I (Bellarmine #1), Div. II (Valley Christian #1).
Video highlights: The Weekend Drill
By Mitch StephensMaxPreps.com
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Bellarmine’s behemoth 6-foot-5, 290-pound tackle Kevin Danser called out his team before Friday’s monumental showdown with West Catholic Athletic League and San Jose rival Valley Christian.
And if Danser shouts out, people respond.
“I told them this was the big one,” he said. “All the lights were on. It’s showtime, it’s primetime, whatever you want to call it. We had to step it up and we did.”
Danser and his grunts up front stepped it up just when the Bells needed them to most to pull out a gritty 27-16 victory at Valley Christian’s hilltop home.
They answered a 45-yard interception return for touchdown by super Valley Christian hero Cameron Marshall, by marching 78 yards in 12 plays – all on the ground and all in Bellarmine’s double-wing/”bunch” formation.
Usua (pronounced ooo-swah) Amanam – as poetic an athlete as his namesake - capped it off with a 17-yard touchdown scamper with 1:13 to play and the Bells (6-0, 3-0) had prevailed in a battle of undefeated California powers before 6,000 fans jammed around the scenic stadium that overlooks the entire Santa Clara Valley.
Bellarmine came in ranked No. 9 in the state, according to MaxPreps.com, while Valley Christian was No. 24.
“We knew we had to move the ball (on the last drive),” Bellarmine coach Mike Janda said. “We knew we had to move it on the ground. We knew had to run down the clock and we knew we had to score. We got it all done.”
The Stanford-bound Amanam said the difference in the game was epitomized in the final sequence.
“Honestly, it came down to the end – whoever had more fight in them would win,” he said. “We had the ball in the end and fortunately we scored and put the game away.”
The Bells rattled off five first downs on the drive that took just under six minutes. Amanam carried seven times for 59 yards but he said it was the boys up front who did all the work which was predictable. He said the linemen were practically frothing at the mouth before the drive.
“They were the most psyched guys on the field,” Amanam said. “It was all them.”
Said Danser: “That was the biggest drive of my life. It definitely helps to have Usua with all the moves he can make. (That last drive) we wanted to play smashmouth football with them. We wanted to hit them right in the mouth and that’s what we were able to do.
“You gotta love playing smashmouth. It’s great.”
Most of the overflow crowd loved what it saw, especially the numerous blue chip recruits who didn’t disappoint.
Amanam had 21 carries for 138 yards and TD runs of 2, 13 and 17 yards. Bellarmine highly-touted linebacker and fullback Michael Clay added numerous big hits and a 38-yard touchdown reception from San Jose State-bound Austyn Carta-Samuels (7 of 12, 135 yards).
It all offset a big night from Marshall, the powerful but fleet 5-foot-10, 205-pound senior who finished with 22 carries and 145 yards, including an 18-yard TD run late in the second quarter.
“They won the battle up front and that won them the game,” Marshall said. “And that last drive. … we were a little broke and they wanted it a little more than we did.”
Bellarmine, which got sacks from Tyler Robitaille, Graham Garland, Clay and Eddie Magana, did a good job bottling up Marshall much of the night. His 18-yard TD was his longest run of the night and only two others were longer than 10 yards.
Considering Marshall came in averaging more than 10 yards per carry and he owns 4.34 speed in the 40, Janda was very pleased with his defensive effort. The Warriors, who came in averaging 406 yards per game managed just 206 compared to 312 for Bellarmine.
Both of Valley Christian’s touchdowns came directly off turnovers.
When asked to describe Marshall’s talent, Janda at first sounded like the teens he’s surrounded by.
“Oh…my…God,” he started. “He’s so dangerous every time he touches the ball. His momentum. His speed. He gets going north and south so fast we were lucky he didn’t break more big ones than he did.”
Bellarmine breezed right down the field on its first two possessions to take a 14-0 first quarter lead. Amanam capped a nine-play, 61-yard drive with a 2-yard TD run and Carta-Samuels finished off an 80-yard march with a third-and-long 38-yard touchdown strike to Clay giving the Bells the early lead.
“Everything we saw tonight we had seen on film,” Valley Christian coach Mike Machado said. “It’s to their credit. They executed and did a great job.”
Marshall, who celebrated his 17th birthday earlier in the week, finally got going with an 18-yard jaunt setting up a 43-yard field goal by Phillip Thrappas, cutting the lead to 14-3 midway through the second quarter.
On Bellarmine’s next possession, Valley Christian senior linebacker Garrett McCoy chased down Carta-Samuels following a wild scramble, forced a fumble and recovered at the Bells’ 25.
Two plays later, Marshall burst through a big hole off the left side and scooted 18 yards for a touchdown, closing the gap to 14-10 heading into halftime.
“I thought we were in a good position at halftime,” Machado said. “But then they took back control.”
Bellarmine did that by taking its first possession of the second half and going 60 yards in just five plays to go up 21-10. Clay and Amanam had runs of 11 and 17 yards and the Warriors helped out with a 15-yard personal foul call.
Amanam finished off the drive with a nifty 13-yard touchdown, giving the Bells an 11-point edge with 7:58 left in the third quarter.
Neither team could muster much offense until Valley Christian put together a nice drive from its own 8 to the Bellarmine 35. But on 4th-and-1, Marshall was thrown for a 3-yard loss by Kyle Olugbode and Mike Dirkson.
“What surprised me most is we couldn’t contain their three down lineman,” Machado said.
Marshall got a measure of revenge just three plays later, picking off an ill-advised Carta-Samuels pass and returning it 45 yards untouched to give Valley Christian all the momentum, trailing 21-16 with 7:06 remaining.
“I was confident we were going to come back (and win), but it just didn’t work out that way,” Marshall said.
That’s because the Bells and their linemen put their smashmouth jerseys on.
“We knew we had to dig deep and play inspired football (on that last drive),” Amanam said. “We did that and got the ‘W.’ “
The victory could have big State Bowl Game implications as both teams entered No. 1 Northern California ranked for the Division I (Bellarmine) and Div. II (Valley Christian) games.
Only Section winners qualify for the bowl championships so if the teams play again for the Central Coast Section Open Division title, Valley Christian can indeed gain ultimate revenge.
“If these guys want to get ticked off (because of this loss) that would be fine with me,” Machado said. “We’re looking forward. We’re not giving up.”
Said Marshall: “It’s going to be tough to beat us twice. Hopefully we’ll see them again and take it to them.”
E-mail Mitch Stephens at mstephens@maxpreps.com.
Bellarmine 27, Valley Christian 16
Bellarmine 14 0 7 6 - 27
Valley Christian 0 10 0 6 - 16
First quarter
B – Usua Amanam 2 run (Ryan Parrette kick), 8:19
B – Michael Clay 38 pass from Austyn Carta-Samuels (Parrette kick), 32.6
Second quarter
VC – FG, Phillip Thrappas 43, 6:11
VC – Cameron Marshall 18 run (Thrappas kick), 2:41
Third quarter
B – Amanam 13 run (Parrette kick), 7:58
Fourth quarter
VC – Marshall 45 interception return (pass failed), 7:06
B – Amanam 17 run (Parrette kick), 1:13
Team Statistics
First downs: Bellarmine 17, Valley Christian 14
Rushes/yards: Bell 37-185, VC 35-158
Passing: Bell 8-12-1-127, VC 6-15-0-48
Total yards: Bell 312, VC 206
Turnovers: Bell 2, VC 0
Penalties: Bell 2-25, VC 2-25.
Individual Statistics
Rushing
Bellarmine: Umanam 21-138, Clay 7-29, Kyle Olugbode 7-29, Carta-Samuels 2-(-11). Valley Christian, Cameron Marshall 22-145, Anthony Olivares 4-26, Daniel Johnson 4-12, Phillip Thrappas 1-3, Cory Gambello 4-(-28).
Passing
Bellarmine, Carta-Samuels 8-12-1-127; Valley Christian Gambello 6-14-0-48, Robert Fiscallini 0-1-0-0.
Receiving
Bellarmine, Clay 2-44, Kyle Demerritt 2-20, Olugbode 1-37, Geo Shannon 1-15, Mitchell Loquaci 1-13, Joe Sever 1-(-2). Valley Christian, Ryan Jones 5-40, Shane Biglarderi 1-8.
10 Takes from Bellarmine-Valley Christian On tight video shots, Danser has an uncanny resemblance to Matt Damon.
As good as Bellarmine and Valley Christian are, the most impressive group on the field may have been Valley Christian’s jazz band that played timely top-tappers throughout.
I disdain projecting teens beyond their college days, so I’ll let one of the most poised and intelligent players I’ve met on a high school field do it. Amanam gave this synopsis of his rival Marshall: “He’s an amazing player. He’s going to be extremely successful. Honestly, I think he’s going to the NFL. … He comes from a great family. He’ll do well in life.”
Though Amanam’s prediction that Marshall will play on Sundays will open most eyes, what struck me most was his final assertion. How many 17-year-olds have the worldliness to consider Marshall’s family and see that he’ll be successful far beyond the football field? That not only speaks volumes about Marshall’s upbringing but also to Amanam’s. I’ve heard from many glowing reviews of Amanam off-the-field and itall rang true in a single 2-minute exchange after the game.
As far as Amanam’s on-the-field skills, he’ll help Stanford immediately next season, though 10-to-15 more pounds will help. His ability to change direction and his vision are off the charts. That hip action might make him a lock down cornerback, though what he does with the ball is special true, as he proved on Friday.
Clay (6-0, 210) reminds me of former De La Salle and Tennessee linebacker Kevin Simon, who likely would have made it to the NFL if not for a series of knee injuries.
Beyond Danser’s size and athleticism – his feet and speed are as good as any offensive lineman I've ever seen – he plays with an edge big guys don’t always possess. He tries to dominate every snap. He’s also a great quote.
Arguably the best prospect on the field barely played, but that’s for good reason. He just turned 14. Marshall’s freshman brother Byron Marshall (5-10, 175) is more angular than his brother and will likely be faster. Byron is a multiple national youth track-and-field champion who is actually a quarterback but will likely be the team’s premier running back next season. Marshall’s father Greg Marshall is a professional trainer and he and his wife Tammie are former college athletes. Oldest daughter Dahlys is at Arizona on a track scholarship. Cameron and Byron are can’t miss kids and athletes.
Cameron Marshall, a 3.4 student, is being recruited by everyone in the country but leaning toward Pac-10 schools. He plans to visit Arizona State next weekend but won’t make his decision until after the season, according to his dad.
If Bellarmine and De La Salle win out, we think both will be playing in a bowl game. Bellarmine as the Open Division Northern California representative and De La Salle at Div. I. We think, considering De La Salle’s experience in big games, it would be better if the Spartans played in the bigger game. So what if Bellarmine and De La Salle met right now? Bellarmine has the edge based on its line play and that backfield of Amanam and Clay is tough to beat. But down the stretch, De La Salle, which just swamped a very good Foothill-Pleasanton team 63-7, has a history of improving greatly. The good thing is both teams will be tested greatly down the stretch. Let’s revisit this in 2-3 weeks.
