Pittsburg turns back Los Gatos in marquee matchup - Beritaja

9 months ago

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LOS GATOS — In an absorbing matchup betwixt 2 apical nationalist schoolhouse shot teams astatine other ends of The Bay Area, Pittsburg made The agelong roadworthy travel to Los Gatos and went location a 37-27 winner.

“These are The kinds of games we’ve struggled pinch in years past,” Pittsburg coach Charlie Ramirez said. “To get up for illustration we did coming and past to persevere done adversity and clasp The lead until The extremity has been 1 of The large focuses for maine aft taking complete arsenic caput coach of thie program.”

Los Gatos ne'er led, but battled backmost throughout. Trailing 16-0 precocious in The first half The Wildcats scored 2 touchdowns in The last 1:05 of The 2nd 4th to spell into The locker room down only 16-14. And past a 2-yard scoring tally by Boxer Kobcsak-Yeung (20 carries, 105 yards, 2 touchdowns) in The 4th fourth brought them wrong 23-21.

“Our effort was unbelievable,” Los Gatos coach Mark Krail said. “Got down early but we didn’t quit.”

Jamar Searcy (28) of Pittsburg evades The tackle of Nate Goldsbury (12) of Los Gatos in a non-league precocious schoolhouse shot crippled astatine Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. connected September 29, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to The Bay Area News Group)

The expertise of Pitt backmost Marley Alcantara to link pinch Noah Quesada nether dense unit and in improbable circumstances was a large facet in Pittsburg’s win. In The first 4th connected fourth-and-22 from midfield he intended to punt, but picked up a bad threat and connected The dormant tally someway completed a 38-yard walk to Quesada for a first down astatine The 12.

“Kind of deflating for us,” Krail said. “You deliberation you person them stopped and past your defense has to spell backmost connected The field.”

Three plays later Alcantara threw an 8-yard TD walk to Makari Kenion for a 13-0 lead.

Both of Pittsburg’s violative touchdowns in The 2nd half came connected fourth-down passes: first connected a 32-yard relationship to Quesada, past connected a 12-yard walk to JuJu Walls.

“Marley is simply a big-time playmaker,” Ramirez said. “He has awesome instincts and awesome vision. The receiving corps, moving backs and violative statement each provender disconnected him.”

Quesada vanished pinch 4 receptions for 118 yards.

Noah Quesada (3) of Pittsburg catches a walk up of Leon Sarashki (10) and Scott Garwood (7) of Los Gatos for a touchdown in The 3rd 4th of a non-league precocious schoolhouse shot crippled astatine Los Gatos High School in Los Gatos, Calif. connected September 29, 2023. (Douglas Zimmerman/Special to The Bay Area News Group)

“We’ve been together since JV year,” Quesada said of The chemistry betwixt him and Alcantara. “I deliberation of him arsenic my small brother.. We support moving and getting amended together.”

Los Gatos backmost AJ Minyard completed 15 of 31 passes for 262 yards pinch 2 touchdowns, a 17-yarder to Jaylen Thomas and 1 of 21 yards to Scott Garwood. He besides had 2 passes intercepted, 1 that was returned 48 yards for a touchdown by Jadyn Hudson, a decisive play that gave The Pirates a 37-21 lead in The 4th quarter.

“Big-time players make big-time plays, particularly in important times,” Ramirez said. “Our DBs are doing a awesome occupation of coming up pinch turnovers. A batch of unit is put connected them week to week. You’ve sewage to play walk sum pinch large ;leads.(Los Gatos) does a awesome occupation of playing max protection and getting receivers out. Their backmost has awesome vision. They were a situation and we knew that coming in.”

For Los Gatos (3-2) this was its 2nd nonaccomplishment to a formidable retired of The conception NorCal power. Back connected Sept. 8 The Wildcats mislaid to Grant-Sacramento 22-21.

“I told our guys, each extremity we’ve group for our squad — triumph a convention championship, triumph a conception championship, get to a NorCal crippled — those are correct connected The array for us,” Krail said. “These 2 games are going to make america amended than playing teams we hit handily.”

Pittsburg concluded non-league play 5-0 and will unfastened The Bay Valley Athletic League play hosting Deer Valley connected Friday. Los Gatos originates Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division play astatine location Friday against Sacred Heart Prep.