Gutsy playcalling pushes Los Gatos to CCS Division I semifinal victory at St. Ignatius: ‘Shoot, we’re going to play to win’
CCS Division I playoffs: Los Gatos converts multiple fourth down plays in the second half to clinch semifinal victory.
SAN FRANCISCO, CA – Los Gatos coach Mark Krail isn’t afraid to go for it on fourth down in certain situations.
During Friday’s Central Coast Section Division I second-round game against host St. Ignatius, Los Gatos converted two critical fourth-down plays. The first resulted in Boxer Kopcsak-Yeung’s eventual game-winning touchdown in the third quarter; the second was for a crucial first down as Los Gatos beat St. Ignatius 21-17 in an eight-minute drive.
“Shoot, we’re going to play to win,” Krail said of the game’s final fourth-down play, a fake punt for a 25-yard pass from Jaylen Thomas to Kopcsak-Yeung from the Los Gatos 32 with 5:11 left in the fourth quarter. “I didn’t want to spend that much time on defense trying to keep them out with a single score.” We thought we had it when two big players made a play, with Jaylen throwing the ball to Boxer. Those guys have been outstanding all year, and tonight was no exception.”
After the game, St. Ignatius coach Lenny Vandermade mentioned that play.
“It all came down to a possession,” he explained. “We’re hoping to reclaim the ball… They did an excellent job of maintaining possession of the football.
“We just weren’t in sync the entire game, and it cost us in the end.” Los Gatos deserves credit for their efforts.”
Kopcsak-Yeung ran for 21 yards and two first downs on four of the next five plays after the fake punt for a first down, before Los Gatos quarterback AJ Minyard kneeled on the final two plays to end the game.
The No. 4 seed in CCS Open/Division I, Los Gatos (10-2), will face No. 7 Wilcox (8-4) in the Division I championship game next weekend. It will be a rematch of an Oct. 27 Peninsula Athletic League Bay Division classic that Los Gatos won 24-21.
Los Gatos’ first fourth-down play in the second half against St. Ignatius was a four-yard touchdown run up the middle by Kopcsak-Yeung at the 6:31 mark of the third quarter, breaking a 14-14 tie.
“I knew they were overloading the outside because they were worried about the sweep,” said Kopcsak-Yeung, who rushed for 162 yards on 24 carries. “We’ve been a second-half team all year.” We will never give up. We persevere in the face of adversity.”
St. Ignatius (7-5), the No. 3 seed, responded with a 53-yard drive to Los Gatos’ final touchdown. It came to a halt after two good coverage plays by Los Gatos’ Nate Goldsbury, but St. Ignatius kicker Odhran Kenny nailed a 44-yard field goal with 2:17 remaining in the third quarter to cut the score to 21-17.
Dash Crispen of St. Ignatius intercepted a pass five plays later, giving his team the ball on its own 43-yard line. The drive, however, came to a halt on the Los Gatos 35, and St. Ignatius punted into the end zone. It would never have possession of the ball again during the game.
Los Gatos returned the opening kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown on a winding and weaving 36-yard run by Kopcsak-Yeung. St. Ignatius responded with an 82-yard drive capped by Soren Hummel’s 30-yard touchdown pass to Jarious Hogan.
St. Ignatius had another long drive (80 yards) in the second quarter, finishing with a one-yard touchdown run by Hummel with 2:04 left in the half. Hummel’s 18-yard pass to Quinn Folk set up the score.
However, Los Gatos’ offense accelerated and marched 76 yards in less than two minutes. With 25.6 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Minyard and Thomas connected on two consecutive passes, one for 16 yards and the other for 27 yards.
RJ Cannan’s interception and 30-yard return to the St. Ignatius 16-yard line with 7.6 seconds remaining gave Los Gatos the ball back. St. Ignatius’ Chase Wiley blocked a 33-yard field goal attempt two plays later, keeping the score tied at 14 at halftime.
When St. Ignatius went for fourth down on Friday, it was 1-1. In the second quarter, Hogan rushed for three yards on a fourth-and-1 situation on the St. Ignatius 29. Cameron Jones was tackled one yard behind the line of scrimmage by Los Gatos’ Andrew Sandoval on a fourth-and-five play on its 41 in the first drive of the second half.
Thomas had a game-high five receptions for 80 yards. Nicholas Hobson contributed three catches for 49 yards.
Jones had a team-high 70 yards rushing on 13 carries for St. Ignatius.
