SAN JOSE – Santa Teresa placekicker Miguel Herrera lined up for a 20-yard field goal, but there was nothing routine about the short kick.
If he converted, the Saints would win a classic three-overtime Central Coast Section opening-round playoff game against visiting Pioneer.
“I have to have confidence in myself,” the senior said. “I had the confidence that I could get out there and kick it and win it for my team.”
The kick sailed through the uprights, and Santa Teresa, the No. 4 seed in the Division IV playoffs, outlasted No. 5 Pioneer 45-42.
“Our guys have stuck together all year,” said Santa Teresa coach Steve Papin, who has led three different schools into the CCS playoffs since 2018. “We’ve been in close games all year. … Our guys just played tough and they kept believing and they kept telling me on the sideline, ‘Coach, we’ve got it for you.’”
Santa Teresa (7-4) will face No. 1 seed Homestead (6-5) on Nov. 19 at 7 p.m. at Homestead in a Division IV semifinal matchup.
The fourth quarter and overtime was an example of two teams that refused to let their hopes for victory die.
Pioneer (8-3) had tied the score at 14 in the third quarter after a four-yard touchdown run by Axel Garcia, and the fourth quarter started with that same score. Probably few people could have predicted that 59 more points would be scored in the game.
The Mustangs took their first lead of the game on a 14-yard run by Jeremiah Lolohea, but Santa Teresa came back to tie the score at 21 after a 32-yard touchdown pass from Jayden Arevalo to Kai Matthews. Then Saints defensive tackle Jorge Ortiz grabbed an interception and ran 15 yards into the end zone to give Santa Teresa the lead with 4 minutes, 19 seconds left in the fourth quarter. It was the team’s first defensive touchdown of the season, Papin said.
Undeterred, Pioneer marched 71 yards and tied the game with 1:06 left in regulation after quarterback Gage Houser moved up in the pocket and launched a 25-yard touchdown pass into the end zone for Kanye Henry, his first and only catch in the game. Isaac Delacruz’s point-after touchdown kick tied the game at 28.
Then Pioneer’s Bryce Johnson, who was impressive both offensively and defensively in the game, grabbed an interception deep in Pioneer territory. But after one first down, the Mustangs were unable to advance the ball into Santa Teresa territory and the game charged into overtime.
In each overtime period, the ball was placed at the 10-yard line at the south side of the field. Each team had four downs in which to score, and both teams were given the chance to score once in each overtime.
Both offenses had no problems reaching the end zone in the first overtime.
Pioneer opened with a 10-yard pass from Houser to Johnson, who had three receptions in the game for 60 yards. Arevalo and Matthews connected for another touchdown, this time from 6-yards out, and Herrera’s PAT kick tied the score at 35.
In the second overtime, Santa Teresa received the ball first and it was the same story – Arevalo to Matthews for a touchdown, this time from 10-yards out.
“When my brothers needed me, I was out there,” said Matthews, who had three receptions, all for touchdowns, in the game.
The 6-foot-2 Matthews is unique in that he is not only a receiver but also a punt returner — and a punter.
“We just kept feeding him,” Papin said. “We just told him we’re going to come to you, we believe in you, you’re our leader.”
Pioneer wasn’t finished, however. Garcia, who rushed for a team-high 95 yards in the game, immediately scored when he bulled his way into the end zone from 10 yards out. Another successful PAT kick by Delacruz tied the score at 42 and sent the game into its third overtime.
But the Mustangs, who received the ball first, were unable to score. After Santa Teresa advanced the ball to the 2-yard-line on three plays, Herrera came through with his heroics.
Santa Teresa opened the game’s scoring with a 37-yard touchdown run by Evan Smith, who rushed for 109 of his game-high 133 yards in the first half. The Saints improved their lead to two touchdowns in the second quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Arevalo to Jeffrey Kerr. Arevalo completed 16 of his 24 pass attempts for 191 yards and four touchdowns in the game. Kerr caught a game-high nine passes for 84 yards. But Pioneer scored just before halftime on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Houser to Johnson.
Pioneer coach Eric Perry and Papin have known each other a long time. They played football against each other in high school (Perry for Pioneer and Papin for Piedmont Hills) and were teammates together at West Valley College.
“Good kids on both sides, good battle,” said Perry, whose team trailed 14-7 at halftime. “I’ve got such a great group of kids. They don’t give up. They just battle through and they fight for each other. I challenged them about fighting to the end and leaving everything out here for the second half, and we came out and we just came up three points short.”
Seconds after Herrera’s kick, Matthews began shaking hands with Pioneer players. Later, he posed for photos with Arevalo and Pioneer’s Johnson. There was a feeling after the game that both teams knew they had been part of a special game.
