DANVILLE – At halftime Friday night, it appeared that the rivalry battle between San Ramon Valley and Monte Vista would be a low-scoring affair.
Each team had nine points.
But San Ramon Valley charged out in the second half with touchdowns on its first three possessions and held off a Mustangs fourth-quarter rally to win 30-23.
“We just didn’t have that many offensive possessions in the first half, so we just felt like that there were some things we hadn’t tapped into yet that we wanted to come out and get to once we started the second half,” San Ramon Valley coach Aaron Becker said.
The Wolves used a counter play effectively on the first drive of the second half, including on a 19-yard touchdown run by Tanner Salisbury for a touchdown.
San Ramon Valley (7-3, 3-1 East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division) also used a double pass on its second drive with quarterback Jack Quigley grabbing a 25-yard reception from Jordan Lewis to help set up a Za’Darion Nardi four-yard touchdown run. The second touchdown occurred on a short field as the SRV defense stopped Monte Vista on a fourth-and-one play on its 36-yard line.
MORE PREP FOOTBALL WEEK 11 COVERAGE
- Roundup: Best of the weekend action in Week 11
- Scoreboard: Friday’s results, Saturday’s schedule
- Pass happy De La Salle too much for Clayton Valley
- Pittsburg overpowers Antioch in Big Little Game
- Leland beats Lincoln to win BVAL Mt. Hamilton title
- Photos: Best of our staff’s Week 11 images
Nardi was the offensive star for the Wolves, rushing for a game-high 162 yards and three touchdowns (two in the second half).
“We just knew we had to be more physical,” said Nardi about the Wolves’ second-half offensive explosion. “I’ve just got to thank my line and my H-backs for giving me great blocks to set up runs.”
After Nardi scored his final touchdown on a 19-yard run with 9 minutes, 18 seconds to play, San Ramon Valley had a 30-9 lead. But Monte Vista (7-2, 2-2) struck fast, moving 68 yards in less than three minutes to score on a 29-yard pass from Dyllan Devitt to Tyler Hibberd.
The Wolves then had a three-and-out, and Monte Vista proceeded on another long drive, this time starting from its 15. But it stalled at the San Ramon Valley 8, where incompletions on third and fourth down kept the Mustangs in a precarious situation with 2:35 remaining.
San Ramon Valley had another three-and-out, and this time Monte Vista reached the end zone on a 20-yard pass from Devitt to Jack Endries with 21.9 seconds remaining.
But the Wolves recovered the ensuing onside kick and kneeled on the next play to end the game.
“We needed to do our job,” said San Ramon Valley’s Tyler Hoffman, who had a sack in the third quarter that helped stop the Mustangs deep on their side of the field. “We’ve had trouble in the past where we can’t put it all together, but I think we put it together in the first half and the second half.”
So what are San Ramon Valley’s chances of getting the top seed in the upcoming North Coast Section Division II playoffs?
“I sure hope we get it,” Becker said. “I’d like to think that our body of work speaks for itself, for sure.”
San Ramon Valley scored seconds into the first quarter on a safety when Monte Vista took a knee in the end zone after fielding the opening kickoff at the 1. The Wolves then recovered an ensuing onside kick but were unable to advance the ball past the Monte Vista 40.
The Mustangs took a 6-2 lead in the second quarter on a three-yard run by Rocco Schramm. But San Ramon Valley answered by driving 75 yards, ending with a 22-yard touchdown run by Nardi.
Monte Vista then had a long drive of its own, starting on its 13-yard line and ending with a 35-yard field goal by Nathan Price on the last play of the first half to tie the score at nine.
The Mustangs’ Cole Boscia had a game-high 12 catches for 92 yards. Endries added seven receptions for 91 yards. Devitt completed 31 of his 42 passing attempts for 291 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions.
