Gavilan wraps up one-win season with 42-31 loss
GILROY
Plenty of offense and several one-play touchdown drives marked the close of the Coast Conference football season at Garcia-Elder Sports Complex Saturday afternoon. Cabrillo polished off the Gavilan Rams 42-31 in a game dominated by offensive explosions from both clubs.
The Rams set a season high for scoring with 31 points, highlighted by one touchdown in the game’s first 17 seconds and two touchdowns in the closing 70 seconds.
Between those outbursts, Gavilan was not able to throttle the Cabrillo balanced offensive effort. The Seahawks, improving to 3-7 for the year and 2-3 for the conference, generated 435 yards and took advantage of three Gavilan turnovers. Cabrillo’s 42 points marked the second game this season that the Rams allowed at least 40 points.
“We can’t keep turning the ball over,” Gavilan coach John Lango said after the game that sent the Rams to a 1-9 mark, including 1-4 in the conference.
Gavilan generated enough offense to convert 23 first downs, rush for 180 yards and pass for 208 more yards. Freshman starting quarterback Cameron Hernandez completed 13 of 27 passes, Sean Berglund three of 11.
Gavilan rushed to an 8-0 lead after 17 seconds of action. After Chad West returned the opening kick-off 44 yards to the Cabrillo 44, Doug Stewart exploded through a hole at left guard and ran 44 yards to a touchdown. Berglund threw a 2-point PAT pass to Luis Padilla for an 8-0 advantage.
The Rams netted only three more points in the game’s next 47 minutes, falling behind 42-11 before scoring the game’s final 20 points.
Cabrillo needed four possessions before striking for the tying touchdown with 14:42 left in the first half. Dean Pappas pushed across for one yard out to finish a 59-yard drive that began with an interception of a Hernandez pass. Gino Delucchi tossed the 2-point PAT to James Peason.
Armond Henderson recovered a Cabrillo fumble at the Rams’ 15 with 11:15 left in the half. Gavilan sent the ball back to Cabrillo at the 10-minute mark when Berglund’s pass was picked off by Josh Jordan and returned 26 yards to the Rams’ 15. Delucchi found Daniel Stevenson open in the left corner of the end zone on the next play, lifting the visitors to a 15-8 lead after Matt Burke’s PAT kick.
Cabrillo added seven points on its next possession, covering 50 yards in five plays for a 22-8 advantage. Pearson pulled in a 15-yard Delucchi TD pass.
Gavilan responded with a 38-yard field goal by Noel Galindo with 1:57 left in the half to trail 22-11.
Cabrillo netted 13 points in the third quarter. Michael Cooper caught a 7-yard TD pass from Jerry Alvarez with 11:05 to go in the third quarter on the first possession of the half. Jamaal Brumfield recovered a Ram fumble on the Gavilan 11. Cabrillo needed one play, an 11-yard pass from Alvarez to Stevenson, to go up 35-11.
Gavilan chipped away at the deficit with a two-play touchdown march covering 62 yards. Cabrillo was flagged for 15 yards for roughing the passer, then Hernandez found Andre Cornell behind the secondary for a 47-yard touchdown strike.
Hernandez fired a 31-yard touchdown pass to Larry Parker with 1:10 to play. Parker recovered the ensuing onside kick. The Rams added a 12-yard touchdown pass from Hernandez to Marcus Patrick.
