The Central Coast Barnstormers showed the depth of their
determination, rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the
Contra Costa Razorbacks last Saturday evening at Gilroy High by a
31-13 margin.
GILROY
The Central Coast Barnstormers showed the depth of their determination, rallying from a fourth-quarter deficit to defeat the Contra Costa Razorbacks last Saturday evening at Gilroy High by a 31-13 margin.
Both teams felt they possessed a legitimate claim to the NCFL title, and the contest did not disappoint.
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The Barnstormers’ offense was sluggish and disorganized to start, only scoring a single touchdown in the first half. Miscues and errors were aplenty as the Barnstormers committed three turnovers, but still managed to control a 7-6 halftime lead.
The defense put forth several valiant efforts, but ultimately couldn’t prevent the Razorbacks (1-2) from scoring in the opening quarters. The Barnstormers (3-0) put together a final threat to close out the first half, but narrowly missed a 52-yard field goal as time expired on the clock.
Re-invigorated at halftime, though, Barnstormers play-caller Steven Lo adopted a simple strategy — run the football and stay patient. The offensive line of the Barnstormers had seemed porous in the first half, but it solidified in the second and the offense began to fall into a groove as a result, moving the ball with more ease.
A successful field goal put the Barnstormers up by a score of 10-6, but the Razorbacks, refusing to trail for long, came right back to score on a breakaway pass and asserted themselves with a 13-10 lead that held until the fourth quarter.
Slowly but surely, Lo’s gameplan took its toll on the Razorback defense, forcing them to over-commit to stopping the run, which opened up passing opportunities that allowed the Barnstormers to keep their drives alive.
Eventually, Barnstormers running back El Rey Henry took a hand-off to the right, read the defensive pursuit and cut back against the grain to find a narrow running lane that ended 41 yards later in the end zone, putting the Barnstormers ahead for good at 17-13.
As the Barnstormers looked to run out the clock and end the game, Henry found the same cutback several more times, finishing with 145 yards on 15 carries. Jerrid Ferranti added his own breakaway run in the closing minutes, scooting 58 yards to the 1-yard line and then scoring two plays later.
The Barnstormer defense played with grit and determination, helping the team recover from a slow start in the first half and preventing the Razorbacks from climbing back into the game in the fourth quarter. Defensive end Korey Gray had three sacks and a forced fumble that was recovered by Dwayne Eison, who rumbled 31 yards into the end zone. Cornerback Jeff Smith produced several clutch plays, including two passes defended.
The Barnstormers continue their quest for a league title against the North Bay Rattlers (3-0) at Gilroy High School on Saturday at 6 p.m. The Rattlers are expected to provide a stiff test for the Barnstormers and should prove to be vital to claiming the NCFL crown.
— Story submitted by Zach Hewett, Special to the Free Lance
