Bulldogs rally in fourth quarter, will play Willow Glen next
week with first place on the line
San Jose – The Sobrato High football team put together a late comeback Friday night to edge Andrew Hill on the road 14-12 and move into a tie for second place in the Blossom Valley Athletic League Mount Hamilton Division.
After scoring 14 points in the fourth quarter to take the lead, the Bulldogs (3-3-1, 3-1 BVAL) stopped the Falcons (3-4, 1-3) on a two-point conversion attempt after their final touchdown with 1:52 left in the game to seal the victory.
Sobrato, which entered the fourth quarter trailing 6-0, got some help in scoring what proved to be the game-winning touchdown. A roughing the kicker penalty with six minutes remaining in the game gave the Bulldogs a first down on the Falcons’ 44-yard line.
Sobrato sophomore quarterback Alex Meldrum, who completed 5 of 9 passes for 87 yards, culminated that drive with a 10-yard touchdown run and the extra point made it 14-6 and that lead held up.
“I feel so good right now,” Meldrum said. “We told ourselves that we’ve got to do something in the second half.”
Meldrum, who is replacing injured starting quarterback Erick Levell, also hooked up with senior tight end Bryan Yates for a 15-yard touchdown to give Sobrato a 7-6 edge with 9:55 left in the game.
That touchdown came after senior lineman Genaro Redmond blocked a punt to set up the Bulldogs at the Falcons’ 38-yard line. Redmond also blocked the PAT attempt after Andrew Hill’s first quarter touchdown.
Sobrato head coach Dan Brown was pleased with his team’s effort Friday and their ability to fight back.
“We’ve been talking for a long time now that we believe we can play at a high level,” Brown said. “I told my players to keep our composure, be aggressive and make plays. The kids never quit. We were as good as our weakest link.”
The Falcons combined for 295 rushing yards, including 120 yards from running back Anthony Sanchez. Senior running back Ndukwe Kas-osoka rushed for 64 yards and scored both touchdowns, including an 8-yard reception that put Andrew Hill in a position to tie the game. Amir Ellis added for 63 yards and Dontae Lartigue ran for 48 yards on two carries.
Junior running back Steven Gutierrez had 25 yards on eight carries to lead the Sobrato rushing attack, which was playing without senior leading rusher Erik Woodruff.
The win puts Sobrato in position to grab first place when it takes on Willow Glen (6-1, 4-0) on Saturday at 2pm. A win would tie the Bulldogs with the Rams and give Sobrato the edge with the head-to-head tie-breaker.
“We’re playing for first place,” Brown said. “We earned the right to be in this position. We brought ourselves from the ground up and we want a title.”
Junior Varsity
San Jose – Sobrato dropped its first junior varsity game of the season, losing to Andrew Hill on Friday 26-20.
The Bulldogs fall to 6-1 on the season and are now 3-1 in league play.
