SANTA CLARA — This was an old-time, throwback kind of football game. Two teams almost completely disdaining the forward pass for virtually the entire game. Three yards and a cloud of dust would certainly have been an apt description were it not for the artificial turf the game was played on.
And when a pass was finally completed for more than a short gain, it broke the game open.
Valley Christian got the win over Wilcox, 24-7, but the final score doesn’t indicate what a tight battle took place for all but the last few minutes..
The two South Bay heavyweights, playing each other in a season opener for the sixth consecutive year (not counting the truncated 2020 Covid season), were locked up in a 10-7 slugfest with just over five minutes left when sophomore quarterback Kaden Hill completed a short out to tight end Jerod White on a third-and-seven play. The 6-foot-5, 220-pound White rumbled down the right sideline 89 yards for a touchdown.
“We had a slot out there that took their guy right out of that zone,” Valley Christian coach Mike Machado said. “Then it was a foot race and he won.”
The 10-point deficit forced Wilcox to throw and VC cornerback Chad Arrieta administered the coup de grace when he stepped in front of a Wilcox receiver in the flat, made the interception and returned it 95 yards for a touchdown with 35 seconds left in the game.
The fondest dream of every cornerback coming true.
“That’s what I think about all day,” Arrieta said. “Taking it to the house. It was awesome.”
Valley Christian threw only five passes all game, but ran the ball 33 times for 190 yards. Marcel Leggett carried 19 times for 63 yards and Ekiah McLemore, a 230-pounder, picked up 113 yards on 11 carries, including a 51-yard run for a touchdown on a fourth-and-1 play for the first score of the game.
Wilcox picked up 149 yards rushing on 40 carries with Brayden Rosa a team-high 75 yards on 19 carries. But Valley Christian’s defense prevented the Chargers from breaking any long runs.
“That’s not easy,” Machado said. “They come downhill at you all night long.”
Middle linebacker Ethan Flynn turned in a standout performance.
“Coach Scharrenberg gave us a great game plan,” Flynn said, referring to defensive coordinator Eric Scharrenberg. “We knew it was going to be a tough fight because Wilcox is a great team every year. We just played our heart out. I trust my brothers out there. I love my D-line. Without them I wouldn’t be able to make the plays I made.”
Wilcox got on the scoreboard on a 16-play, 73-yard drive in the second quarter with Jeiman Delos Santos scoring from 3 yards out.
“When they’re dialed in they’re not going to give up many big plays,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said. “I have a lot of respect for them. It’s not going to get much tougher than that. We schedule that game every year for a purpose, to see where we’re at. I feel good, a lot of our young guys got good experience. We’ll get better.”
A 37-yard field goal by Aaron Vanderveen broke the halftime tie and put the Warriors back on top 10-7 with 56 seconds left in the third quarter.
