PLEASANTON – San Ramon Valley coach Aaron Becker challenged his team at practice for the entire week.
The eighth-ranked Wolves responded in resounding fashion Friday night with a 42-0 rout at No. 20 Foothill to close out the non-league portion of the schedule.
“We treated this like a playoff game and showed everybody what we can do,” said running back Za’Darion Nardi, a 6-foot, 175-pound senior who found the end zone three times.
SRV (4-1) prevailed in its previous two games against Las Lomas and at Antioch by less than a touchdown, with those results preceded by a 21-14 loss at Central Catholic.
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With five upcoming games in the rugged East Bay Athletic League Mountain Division, the Wolves seemed intent to build momentum on the gridiron.
“We hadn’t really played a full, complete game yet in our eyes and they did tonight,” Becker said. “They started well and they finished well.”
Quarterback Jack Quigley, a three-year starter, sparked the offense in the first half by completing his first nine passes for 121 yards and three touchdowns.
“He’s been with it for three years, so he knows it inside out and out,” Becker said. “And tonight was a night he was clicking and the guys were clicking. It was fun to watch.”
Meanwhile, the Falcons (4-2) only managed 66 yards from scrimmage before intermission and headed into the locker room trailing 35-0.
“Coach Becker did a really good job of getting our guys ready for the week,” Quigley said. “We really came together as a team and showed everyone what we’re all about. We struggled the first few weeks of really trying to find our identity as a team and we weren’t really clicking just yet. And the coaches just kept believing in us and we just need to do a really good job of believing in ourselves. And we did that.”
Quigley finished 10-of-12 for 141 yards, engineering an 11-play opening drive that concluded with a 9-yard TD toss to junior Trevor Scott.
Immediately after an interception by Jordan Lewis with 7:34 left in the half, Quigley hit senior Tanner Salisbury for a 23-yard score.
The defense proceeded to force a three-and-out, and three plays later the Quigley-Salisbury connection delivered a 27-yard touchdown to go ahead 28-0 with 4:43 remaining.
“Our defense has put us in really good positions all year,” Quigley said. “And the first few games we struggled to put the ball in the end zone. I give it up to them. They done a really, really good job the first few weeks and obviously tonight, not allowing any points. It’s awesome.”
Nardi added balance to the attack with 12 carries for 59 yards, crossing the goal line from 4 and 9 yards out in the first half.
With the running clock in effect to begin the second half, SRV defensive end Riley Gann tipped a short pass on the first play from scrimmage and came down with the interception at the Foothill 10-yard line.
That led to a 5-yard TD by Nardi, who walked in untouched for cap the scoring.
“It’s so fun playing with the team,” Nardi said. “The linemen set up some really good blocks for me to get in the end zone.”
Of note, the short 13.4-mile drive down I-680 from Danville meant the Wolves didn’t have to face a hostile crowd by themselves.
“We have a phenomenal student section,” Quigley said. “They bring a lot of energy, obviously. It definitely helps us build confidence.”
