After playing catch-up most of the game, the Sobrato Bulldogs
held off a late rally to win 35-34
Tommy Wright, special to the Times
MORGAN HILL — After playing catch-up most of the game, the Sobrato Bulldogs held off a late rally by Leland to pull off a 35-34 upset Friday at Richert Field.
Coach Nick Borello said the win was important for the Sobrato High School football program, which is in its seventh year. Leland, a perennial playoff contender from the Mount Hamilton Division, reached the Central Coast Section Division II semifinals in 2009.
“That’s a big win against a very good, very established, well-coached team,” Borello said. “That’s a very big win for our program. It says a lot about how far we’ve come. I won’t go as far as to say that it says we’re going to the top, but it says we’re going in the right direction.”
Junior fullback Obi Mbonu pushed through for a 1-yard touchdown run on a fourth-and-goal play to start the fourth quarter, and the extra point gave the Bulldogs the lead for good.
The Chargers seemed poised to move back in front on the following series, driving from their own 20-yard line to Sobrato’s 15 before attempting a go-ahead field goal from 30-yards out. It missed wide left.
Sobrato (2-0 overall) played conservatively, rushing three times before punting the ball back to Leland. The Chargers again moved into SHS territory as the clock ran down. Leland was just inside the Bulldogs’ 25 when quarterback Jason Habash’s pass was picked off by safety Conor Havstad at the 5 with 26 seconds left.
“It felt amazing,” Havstad said. “We were down one point and they were that close to scoring, and I knew I had to make a play.”
After Sobrato took a 7-0 lead on its opening drive, Leland (1-1) scored 21 unanswered points.
“I think, for this team, the turning point was when they decided to match the intensity. … The first quarter-and-a-half, they were pushing us around a little bit, and we decided enough is enough,” SHS assistant coach Albert King said.
Speaking to the team after the game, King said he watched the group change from young boys to young men.
“All the hard work they put into the offseason showed, because they can play four quarters, and a lot of teams can’t say that,” he said.
The Bulldogs tightened the game to 28-21 late in the second quarter when quarterback Jerry Jacob found Steven Villareal deep in the left corner of the end zone.
After putting up 28 points in the first half, Leland scored six in the second on a 2-yard rush by Kenny Portera. The missed extra point, which appeared to be tipped, ended up being the difference in the game.
“That game was just intense, back and forth, but we didn’t quit,” Jacob said.
Mbonu led all rushers with 98 yards on 21 carries. Jacob didn’t just throw for a touchdown, he also ran for three.
Borello said it was a great win for his team to build off of, but noted that there were many turnovers and penalties from both teams. The Bulldogs have much to focus on this week, as they prepare for their first defense of the El Toro Bowl championship against Live Oak.
Sobrato faces Independence, a Santa Teresa Division-title contender, the following week.
“Coming off a big win like this, going into another big game like (Live Oak), and then we have Independence after that, these next couple of weeks are really going to show us what kind of team we have and really tell us where our program is going,” Borello said.
