In last Saturday’s 33-29 win, the Rams made enough big plays in both halves to pull out a non-conference victory.
Gavilan is hoping to build on that win as the team gears up for its final non-conference bout 7 p.m. this Saturday, hosting West Hills College at Gilroy High School.
“We want to win the game, obviously, first and for most,” said Gavilan coach Spencer Gilford. “Doing so really sets us up for conference play.”
As Gavilan is riding the high of winning its first game, so to is its opponent.
West Hills is coming off an 18-0 win over San Jose City College.
“They’re feeling the same way we are,” Gilford said. “They went on road, got win and shutout win at that. You can assume their confidence level is high as well. They will be trying to do the same thing we are going into bye week.”
He said both teams are trying to start a winning streak and build on the positives from the previous week.
For the Rams, the goal is to continue the improvement started against Contra Costa two weeks ago.
“They’re feeling good about themselves and feeling confident,” Gilford said. “It’s not a new feeling. They felt the same way after the tough loss week prior too (at Contra Costa). If really we’re focused on both offensive and defensive sides of the ball and on special teams, we could be one of best teams in the conference.”
Against College of the Redwoods last week, Jakari Johnson caught two touchdown passes and threw the winning touchdown pass in the closing minutes as the Rams.
“From last week to today, the biggest thing was we played a full game,” Gilford said after the game. “We still hurt ourselves. We can’t keep spotting them early touchdowns, but we handled the adversity and were able to win the game.”
Johnson caught touchdown passes of 46 and 15 yards from starting quarterback Nate Ellis, then paired up with quarterback Seth Holcomb for a halfback pass to a wide-open Trevin Kelley with 4:03 left in the game to erase a 29-26 deficit.
Gavilan lost Ellis in the third quarter due to cramping. Gilford said he and the coaching staff are stressing Ellis keep hydrated during the week and drinking plenty of “ades” — Gatorade, Powerade and others.
Gilford said the cramps sounded worse when Ellis came off, but he is ready to go this week.
Ellis completed his first 10 pass attempts, finishing 16 for 21 for 217 yards.
On the other side of the ball, Gilford said West Hills will feature primarily a run offense, led by Wilfred Butler, who leads the Golden Gate Conference with 78 rushes through three games and is third with 76 yards per game.
Dametric Sanders will also pull the ball down and run it, boasting more yards rushing (107) than passing (72) through three games.
Stats for a game against San Francisco City College were not posted.
The Falcons don’t put up many points per game, averaging just 13.25 through four contests. Gilford is quick to point out that West Hills have played some tough opponents.
Three of its previous four opponents are ranked in the top 10 in Northern California, according to a California Community College Athletic Association poll. This includes No. 1 ranked San Francisco City, there the Falcons fell 59-14.
Gavilan will enter a bye week next week before opening Coast Conference play 6 p.m. Oct. 19 at Monterey Peninsula College.
Kickoff for Saturday’s game is 7 p.m. at the Garcia-Elder Sports Complex.
“It’s a really crucial game on the schedule for both teams,” Gilford said. This should lead to an exciting and fun atmosphere at Gilroy High School.”
