With his quarterback under pressure, and his team in danger of blowing another lead Friday against Live Oak, Gilroy wideout Jourdan Soares found refuge in a place he plans to visit more this season — the end zone. Soares had six catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns, none bigger than the 36-yard prayer he hauled in as time expired in the first half that keyed Gilroy’s 56-37 victory in a thrilling season opener between the contrasting former league rivals
With his quarterback under pressure, and his team in danger of blowing another lead Friday against Live Oak, Gilroy wideout Jourdan Soares found refuge in a place he plans to visit more this season — the end zone.
Soares had six catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns, none bigger than the 36-yard prayer he hauled in as time expired in the first half that keyed Gilroy’s 56-37 victory in a thrilling season opener between the contrasting former league rivals.
“It was a Hail Mary, the biggest play in football,” Soares said afterward, while his teammates serenaded the home crowd in Garcia-Elder Sports Complex with the Gilroy alma mater. “It can change a game.”
Did it ever.
The Mustangs led 14-0 after 10 plays and were in firm control most of the night, with their rapid-fire, spread offense working to the tune of 301 yards and five touchdown passes in 14-for-24 passing by Niko Fortino and 211 yards rushing and two touchdowns by Brandon Boyd.
Still they needed a strong fourth quarter by their defense and a few more big plays by Soares and company to outlast the Acorns for the third straight year, earning victory No. 1 for first-year Gilroy coach Steven Lo.
“I played in this rivalry, and anytime you play this close against a tough team like that, it means a little something extra,” said Lo, who bested another rookie coach in Live Oak’s Mike Gemo. “We still have some stuff to work on and improve. It felt like a first game, but it went pretty well for us, especially for Niko and Jourdan.
“They put a lot of hard work in this summer, and it definitely showed tonight.”
The Acorns stayed in the fight behind a coming-of-age performance by tailback/free safety Trevor Bearden. The 6-foot, 185-pound sophomore carried 27 times for 240 yards, including bruising touchdown runs of 2, 3, 65 and 59 yards, and took a throw-back screen from Taylor Turnipseed 80 yards for a score in the second quarter.
“I didn’t expect that much, but I knew that kind of night could happen,” said Bearden, whose previous varsity experience comprised six carries in a first-round playoff loss a year ago. “I think our offense did good. We just need to work on our tackling. We weren’t making them like we should.”
Bearden also recovered a Fortino fumble in the end zone during the second quarter. The quarterback lost his grip on the ball in open space at the end of a 20-yard scramble — 2 yards short of the goal line.
Bearden’s touchdown reception came next, a punishing sequence in which he leveled one defender and stiff-armed another down the sideline.
“Nasty, just filthy,” Lo said admiringly. “We had no idea he’d be that fast and strong. He’s got a great career ahead of him.”
It was a break-out night for Turnipseed as well. The 5-foot-11 junior showed poise in his first start, competing six of 10 for 150 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions.
He and Bearden were catalysts in the Acorns’ new offense, which balances power running with pro-style passing.
“Our offense got us out of a hole tonight and put us in position win the game,” Gemo said. “The guys didn’t give up. But that late touchdown at halftime killed us.”
Soares’ big grab couldn’t have been more deflating for an Acorns team that battled back to tie it at 14-14 and 21-all, then took the lead on Mark Butterworth’s 35-yard field goal with 1:28 left in the first half.
Soares, a 6-foot-2 senior, all but broke Live Oak’s back in the third quarter with a nearly identical 36-yard touchdown reception over the top of the Acorns’ secondary.
“Linemen did a great job blocking, and I was able to find him out there when we needed him,” said Fortino, who also threw a 40-yard scoring strike to Ryan Alba in the first quarter. “Our defense stepped up big in the second half.”
Live Oak’s fell apart, trying to keep up with Soares and the pace of Gilroy’s offense.
“They tired us out real fast,” Acorns cornerback/receiver Jerardo Caro said. “We’ve just got to keep working.”
Live Oak returns home to face Christopher next week, while the Mustangs host Saratoga.
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