CLICK HERE if you are having a problem viewing the photos on a mobile device
PLEASANTON — There couldn’t have been a more exhilarating way for San Leandro to start the season — or a more heartbreaking beginning for Foothill.
San Leandro erased a 14-point deficit in the final 5:41 of the fourth quarter then scored the only touchdown in overtime to pull out a 28-20 victory over Foothill on Friday at Amador Valley High.
Junior quarterback DJ Bryant completed 14 of 23 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran in one touchdown, as the Pirates topped the Falcons for the fourth straight year in the nonleague series that began in 2014.
With the Pirates down 20-14, Demetrius Freeney caught a 42-yard touchdown pass on fourth down from quarterback D.J. Bryant with 34 seconds left in regulation time to tie the game. San Leandro, without a placekicker, was stopped by the Falcons on the ensuing two-point conversion try, but that only added another dramatic layer to its improbable comeback.
San Leandro went on offense to start overtime and marched 25 yards on seven plays, capped by a 2-yard touchdown catch from sophomore Te’Ron Nix in the end zone. Butler then ran to his right and dove for the end zone on the two-point try for an eight-point Pirates lead.
Here’s the game-tying touchdown throw from San Leandro’s DJ Bryant to Demetrius Freeney with 34 seconds left in the fourth quarter (would’ve recorded more, but my phone ran out of juice) pic.twitter.com/zGkWWP9muU
— Curtis Pashelka (@CurtisPashelka) August 24, 2019
Foothill was held without a first down on its possession in overtime, as quarterback Bryce Lombardi was sacked by Elijah Jackson on fourth down, setting off a wild celebration by the Pirates.
“We stayed confident,” San Leandro coach Brad Bowers said. “A win like this lets us know that we’re never out of a game until the end.”
Senior Peter Montini scored his second of two touchdowns with 10:50 left in the fourth quarter to give Foothill a 20-6 lead.
San Leandro started its ensuing drive at its own 28 and needed 11 plays to answer, as Bryant capped things with a 7-yard touchdown run to cut Foothill’s lead to six.
Bryant, who started a handful of games for San Leandro last season, was mostly unstoppable once he got outside the pocket, as he rushed for 126 yards on 17 carries.
After a lethargic first half in which they had just 91 total yards, San Leandro looked like a new team in the second half and overtime. They converted on fourth down five times, including on their winning drive in overtime as Bryant scrambled for a four-yard gain on a 4th-and-3 play at the Foothill 6.
Foothill, which ended last season on a seven-game losing streak to finish 2-8, was also hurt by two second half turnovers.
“(Bryant’s) a tremendous athlete, but you can’t turn the ball over that many times and allow them to convert that many fourth downs,” Foothill coach Greg Haubner said. “That was the difference in the game.”
Foothill began the game with a 12-play, 67-yard drive, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run from Max Masajlo. Montini led the Falcons with 95 yards on 11 carries.
The game was at Amador Valley since renovations on Foothill’s field are not yet complete. Per the school’s website, the field is scheduled to be completed in time for Foothill’s Aug. 30 home game against Heritage.
