GILROY
A first half of good fortune for Gilroy High football turned into a 45-14 defeat Friday night at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex, as the Mustangs fell short in their first-round Central Coast Section Open Division playoff game against the visiting Serra Padres.
Trailing 14-3 to begin the third quarter, Adonis Smith jumpstarted Serra by returning the opening kickoff 75 yards, leading to a 12-yard touchdown run by quarterback Cody Jackson two plays later. By the time the final two quarters had ended, the Padres had reeled off 42 unanswered points.
“We played a great first half and just couldn’t overcome the momentum there in the second half,” Gilroy coach Rich Hammond said. “They got the big kickoff return and just rolled from there.”
Serra (8-3) scored on five of its six second-half possessions, and also added a defensive touchdown on a 47-yard interception return by linebacker Danny Dealba.
In contrast, Gilroy (9-2) was held scoreless after taking a 14-3 lead into halftime through two fantastic Dante Fullard touchdown receptions (9 catches, 201 yards). The first came on a tunnel screen for 55 yards to make it 7-3 following an Ivan Lopez extra point. The second score came on an acrobatic catch of 40 yards, in which Fullard snatched the ball over Serra’s Eric Owens in the end zone.
A 32-yard field goal by Greg Guttas (1-for-4) was all Serra had to show for its efforts at the intermission.
“Going into the game, I thought we were a little content,” Padres coach Patrick Walsh said. “Winning the West Catholic (Athletic League) and making it to the Open, our guys were content with that. Well, I told them, ‘Gilroy is not content.’ We knew they wanted to win just as bad as we did – and the first half showed that.”
The second half showed a Gilroy team out of sync.
Jamie Jensen (18-for-31, 332 yards, two touchdowns) threw four interceptions and was sacked four times.
Serra defensive end Kyle Gschwend – who forced two Jensen fumbles, had two sacks and added a knock on Jensen to set up an interception – said getting pressure up front was the key to slowing Gilroy down.
“We were getting closer and closer to (Jensen),” Gschwend said. “Once we started getting to him, we knew we had them.”
Aided by an outstanding all-around effort by Jackson, who finished the game 10-for-16 for 156 yards and two touchdowns to go along with 15 carries for 128 yards and two more scores, the Padres’ offense was unstoppable in the second half.
DonAndre Clark caught touchdowns of 34 and 33 yards, and Jared Braun ran for a 30-yard score to help give Serra the 31-point win.
“We didn’t change anything in the second half,” Jackson said. “Basically, we just stepped it up and played with a different attitude. We were a lot more fundamentally sound.”
Addressing his team for the final time, Gilroy’s coach commended the effort his players put forth during the game, and the pride they showed over the course of 11 contests.
“If it hurts that’s a good thing, because that means you cared a ton,” Hammond said, a season’s worth of emotion welling in his eyes.
