Junior Pee Wees, Junior Midgets drop close games to tough
opponents
n Special to The Times
The Morgan Hill Raiders Junior Pee Wees and the Junior Midgets both lost heart breakers in the Division Championships Sunday at Woodside High.
The Junior Pee Wees faced the powerful Redwood City 49ers, who beat the Raiders 32-0 in the regular season finale, and took them into double overtime before surcoming to a game ending interception in the college format overtime.
The Junior Midgets controled most of their game, taking a lead into the final quarter but stumbled on the first drive of the fourth quarter giving up a 4 play 55 yard drive to West Valley.
Junior Pee Wees
Redwood City 49ers 19, MH Raiders 12
The Raiders came out fired up for the championship game against a team that beat them soundly three weeks prior. On third and 8 on the Raiders’ first possession, Jerry Jacob hit Julius Travis for a 60 yard touchdown pass to score the first points of the day.
With the score, the first against the 49ers all year, things looked good. But the P.A.T. kick was missed and it loomed large.
The Raiders won the time-of-possession battle for most of the first half, keeping the ball away from of the explosive 49er offense. But on the second half kickoff the Raiders tried an onside kick and failed giving up the field position and momentum.
The game was played in the Raider zone for much of the second half and Redwood City finally broke through to tie the score late in the third quarter at 6-6.
The game remained tied at regulation so they went to overtime with each team receiving the ball at the 10-yard-line with four downs.
Redwood City scored on their first try but failed on the P.A.T.
Morgan Hill answered back with one of their own and were one P.A.T. away from a remarkable upset, but fell short.
The 49ers scored on the next play and converted the extra point while on the Raiders’ chance, Redwood City intercepted a second-down pass to end the game.
Junior Midgets
West Valley Falcons 15, MH Raiders 14
Morgan Hill was primed for an upset win against West Valley but their bid to advance to the region semifinal fell one point short Sunday night under the unforgiving lights at Woodside High.
The Raiders gave up the first score of the night after West Valley recovered a fumble at the MH 45-yard-line.
Down 8-0, Morgan Hill came right back and scored on James Hamblin’s two-yard TD run. Key plays in the drive were Jeffery Roberts pair of 10-yard runs and Robert Fiscalini’s eight-yard sweep.
With the score tied at 8-all, MH’s Hamblin intercepted a pass at mid field and returned it for the lead. However, the P.A.T. kick was missed.
The Raiders defense shut down the strong-armed Falcon quarterback, forcing him into bad reads and picking up sacks.
But West Valley made the adjustment and went to the tight end over the middle to score a fourth-quarter TD, adding the extra point try to take the lead 15-14.
The Raiders mounted a gallant drive on their last possession but turned the ball over on downs with five minutes left at the Falcons 23.
