With non-stop rain limiting both offenses, Wilcox got a 36-yard field from Armando Rodriguez to break a third-quarter deadlock and the Chargers made it stand up in a 10-7 win over Menlo-Atherton in a Central Coast Section Division II semifinal Friday in Santa Clara.
It was a game that brought to mind legendary defensive battles with scoring at a minimum that take place in parts of the country where inclement weather is more commonplace.
“We hadn’t played a rain game like that … ever,” Wilcox coach Paul Rosa said.
No. 1 seed Wilcox (10-2) will play the winner of Saturday’s Menlo School-Palma game for the CCS D-II championship. Wilcox, which defeated Menlo-Atherton for the second time in the last 14 days, also has already played Menlo School this season, posting a 28-14 victory at Menlo on Oct. 12.
After a scoreless first quarter, Brayden Rosa scored on a 1-yard run in the first minute of the second quarter to give Wilcox a 7-0 lead.
Menlo-Atherton responded later in the quarter on a fourth-and-goal play from the 20 when Xander Eschelman connected with Angelo Marin for a touchdown.
Wilcox received the second-half kickoff and drove far enough to attempt what turned out to be the game-winning field goal.
“It was a tough kick in pouring down rain,” Rosa said. “The rest of the game we were cautious in our play calls, trying not to make a big mistake.”
M-A tried to respond and had a couple promising gains nullified on holding calls.
“The game was largely played in the midfield,” Menlo-Atherton coach Chris Saunders said. “It was really hard to run eight or 10 plays in this weather.”
The Bears had a fourth-and-5 at midfield late in the fourth quarter and turned the ball over on downs. Wilcox proceeded to run out the clock.
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“They’re a really good football team,” Saunders said. They’re built for the playoffs, built for bad weather.”
Defensive end Devin Hyde, linebacker Anthony Van der Meer and nose tackle Amaloni Mohetau stood out on defense for M-A. Rosa credited middle linebacker Santino Barragan and defensive end Dillon Faga alongside his son, Brayden Rosa, for their efforts defensively in helping limit M-A to seven points.
