SH Prep not deterred by site change in football win over SI

After beating St. Ignatius, 13-7, in the first round of the Central Coast Section Open Division III playoffs, the Gators got back on the bus at Gilroy High.

Raymond Price III"At this point, we're used to it," Sacred Heart Prep running back-linebacker John Willard said. "At the end of the day we just wanted to play football."

The impact of the disastrous Camp fires in Butte County has been felt through most of the Western part of California, as the air quality index made it impossible to stay outdoors for any length of time and threw the CCS fall playoffs into a state of confusion.

The disrupted schedules were handled with much aplomb by all involved, considering the circumstances. There was agreement down the line from CCS and school administrators to players to fans: the priority remains with the fire victims and the thousands directly affected.

The Gators' bus was in San Martin, just north of Gilroy, when the call came regarding the location change.

The contest was originally scheduled for Nov. 10 at 1 p.m. on the SHP campus and then pushed to Monday night, Nov. 12 at Sequoia, then back to SHP on Saturday, and then to Alisal before the final detour.

The AQI was 82 at kickoff, the lowest its been since the smoke started finding its way into the Bay Area.

"It was frustrating but we talked about being adjustable; flexible," Sacred Heart Prep coach Mark Grieb said. "We knew we'd play the game at some point and we had to be ready for that moment. It's a credit to their maturity and hard work throughout the year they were ready."

The call came at 11 a.m., two hours before game time. Both Sacred Heart Prep and St. Ignatius got the word out and both had a fairly large contingent of fans. They deserve a lot of credit too.

It wasn't the same size crowd it might have been the previous week and the game was played with little or no fanfare.

While both offenses could have used a tune-up, the defenses came to play.

For Sacred Heart Prep (10-1), there were two key sequences in the second half that defined the game.

After recovering a Gators fumble in the third quarter, St. Ignatius (3-8) proceeded to go on its longest drive of the afternoon, eventually reaching the SHP 25-yard line. On the 11th play of the drive, SHP linebacker William Peterson read a pass play perfectly and stepped in front of the receiver for an interception.

With 6:36 remaining to play, the Wildcats blocked a SHP punt and took over on the Gators' 20-yard line. SHP stopped the first play for no gain. SI tried a reverse on the next play but J.P. Frimel held his assignment and was in position to make a tackle for a loss of three yards.

The Wildcats then tried a pass in the flat but Frimel was again in the same spot and made the tackle. SI's 39-yard field goal attempt failed.

Sacred Heart Prep took over with just about four minutes left and went on its most productive drive, an 11-play, 32-yard drive that ran out the clock.

"We just talked about getting the next first down," SHP sophomore quarterback Raymond Price III said. "We kept saying just one more first down. These seniors are relentless. They stepped up for us and we played for them."

The Wildcats were limited to 168 total offensive yards, 82 on the ground. SHP's Tevita Moimoi gained 118 yards on 19 carries.

"We hadn't hit anybody for a while," Gators' senior defensive end Jake Davison said. "It's tough to sit back and relax. But the first play, we were fully engaged. Everybody on the field showed up today. Our defensive coach got us prepared for everything."

The teams spent the past two weeks indoors, with the Gators taking over the gymnasium and causing basketball practice delays. Davison figures he can make up for it when he joins the team after football.

Davison, along with Ben Horvath, Joey Dahlkemper, Cole Gurtner and, at times, Matt Flynn formed a massive wall that Price was able to operate behind. He managed 60 yards rushing and 32 yards passing. He acknowledged his rough edges from not being able to get a lot of reps.

"But the offensive line was incredible and the offense might not have been clicking but we found a way to come through," he said.

The Gators made a safety, a field goal and one touchdown pass, a 22-yard running back screen to Willard and ensuing two-point conversion pass to Thomas Hardy, stand up.

Ronan Donnelly, who missed from 44 and 57 yards, ended the scoring in the third quarter with a 32-yard field goal that split the uprights.

NOTES: Sacred Heart Prep did have the misfortune of a possible shoulder injury to wide receiver Dante Cacchione on its first offensive series. He did not return. ... While the Gators were fortunate to find out before the team bus reached Gilroy, St. Ignatius found out about the change 20 miles south Gilroy and had to turn around. "It worked out OK," SI senior Mark Biggins said. ... Watching the CCS field hockey championship, switched to 11 a.m. at Gilroy, was an added bonus. Los Gatos beat Pioneer, 3-0, for its sixth consecutive CCS title and finished the year 22-0. The Wildcats' senior class never lost a match. ... Sacred Heart Prep will play another WCAL school, Sacred Heart Cathedral, in the next round of playoffs. The Irish downed Live Oak, 20-0, to advance.