The Gavilan College football team has one more game to play,
coach John Lango confirmed Thursday.
The Gavilan College football team has one more game to play, coach John Lango confirmed Thursday.
“We are the Coast Conference representative” to post-season play, said the fourth-year coach. The Rams clinched a share of the five-team Coast Conference title with Saturday’s 20-13 win over Cabrillo.
While Gavilan (5-5) has a bye this week and finished the conference with a 3-1 record, DeAnza and Cabrillo share second place at 2-1. Since the Dons and Seahawks play Saturday afternoon in Cupertino, the winner will finish as a co-champion.
Gavilan owns wins over both potential co-champs, leading to the Rams’ ownership of the post-season spot.
Hartnell, the only conference team to defeat Gavilan, dropped out of championship consideration with a 30-27 triple-overtime loss to DeAnza.
“By rule, we are to play Sierra (the unbeaten Bay Valley champion) on November 29,” said Lango of the likely match-up. “Sierra’s been invited to the Capital Shrine Bowl and we’d be the opponent.”
The Northern California Football Association pits league champions so that each conference is guaranteed a post-season bowl for each conference winner.
While the Sierra showdown is likely, Lango cautioned that several other potential bowls could lead to Gavilan finding another venue and opponent, either on Nov. 22 or 29.
“The kids are excited,” Lango said of the squad after Wednesday’s conditioning work-out at Brownell School in Gilroy. “They just want to know where w’re going. I’m just happy to be in it. It’s up to the competition commmittee to set up the bowls, so we’ll be informed of the bowl and opponent by Sunday afternoon.”
Hartnell (1-2) plays 0-3 Monterey Peninsula College Saturday night.
Gavilan’s El Ray Henry has a big lead in the rushing race, his 1067 yards leaving Cabrillo’s Loren Jensen is second with 892 yards entering Saturday’s play. Henry is the conference scoring leader with 86 points.
Ram Ted Mason finished the year with a conference-leading 933 yards. Brian Davilla is second with 749.
Gavilan’s T.J. Monroe leads the conference with seven interceptions, two ahead of Brandon Joseph of Cabrillo and David Gibson of Hartnell.
