The clock was winding down in Gavilan’s season opener against Yuba, but that didn’t damper Brandon Pickens’ spirit.
The freshman QB, who entered the game to replace the injured sophomore Nate Ellis, led a 94-yard drive into the endzone with just 21 seconds left in the game to send the game to overtime. Pickens tied the game at 14 all off a 1-yard QB keeper.
But despite the late offensive jolt and gaining possession first in OT, the Rams lost three yards on three plays and missed the 45-yard attempt. Yuba, however, nailed their 27-yard try and won 17-14 over Gavilan Sept. 7 in Marysville.
Gavilan dominated Yuba in total offense, producing a 307-163 edge but gave up four turnovers in the game — two of which were Pickens’ interceptions, while the other two were fumbles.
“It’s about ball security and we’ve been talking about it since day one,” Rams coach Spencer Gilford said. “On defense we want to create more turnovers and we had a couple dropped interceptions that we could’ve easily caught and it would’ve changed the game. On offense we want to always have great ball security which is holding onto the ball when we have the opportunity to carry it and make good decisions in the passing game so we’re not throwing into situations where it could be intercepted easily.”
The Gavilan D does deserve some credit, keeping the game close to give the offense a chance to come back. Freshman Jerome Brooks had a good debut for the Rams, coming up with the team’s lone interception.
Offensively, Pickens finished the day 12 for 24 for 150 yards and a touchdown. Ellis, went 4 for 9 for 31 yards and a touchdown in his limited play. But it was sophomore Jakari Johnson who really shined for the Rams. The running back had 68 yards on the ground and 20 in the air off three catches including a touchdown.
Things won’t get any easier for Gavilan this week as they play Shasta College at 1 p.m. Saturday in the home opener. The vistors from Redding opened their season with a 45-13 stomping of West Valley, the result of a well rounded attack on all sides of the ball. The Knights scored four touchdowns on offense, two on defense and one on special teams.
Gavilan’s offense can expect a world of pressure from the Shasta D, especially its secondary which had three interceptions against West Valley — one of which was a pick six. The Knights defense also forced a fumble.
The Rams will face a tough running attack in the form of sophomore Marzett Davis. The running back had 63 yards rushing and returned the game opening kickoff for an 89-yard touchdown. The aerial attack will directed into the hands of Cooper Janusevskis, Shasta’s top receiver from Week 1. He had two catches for 68 yards.
With a week of practice under its belt, Gilford said he’s confident his team will be prepared for their counterparts from Redding.
“We all have that first game down and we’re kind of over that at this point,” Gilford said. “We expect to have a lot of those correctable errors corrected throughout this out week and heading into Saturday’s home game.”
Reporter Bob Burch contributed to this report.
