Football: El Cerrito Falls to Pinole Valley

Pinole Valley 49, El Cerrito 13

The star: James Savage rushed for 82 yards — more than half of El Cerrito's total offense — and returned the opening kickoff for a big gain for the Gauchos.

The turning point: With the game tied at 7 late in the second quarter, the Spartans' Nehemiah Watson caught a 33-yard touchdown pass to take the lead going into halftime. El Cerrito never recovered.

The quote: "You've got to be able to play through adversity better than this. You've got to respond when things get tough," El Cerrito coach Kenny Kahn said.

What's next?: El Cerrito hosts Alameda on Friday at 7 p.m.

Bottom line: A night that began with great promise ended in bitter disappointment for the Gauchos.

——————————

This wasn't supposed to happen again.

After the football team was , Berkeley, it wasn't supposed to let history repeat itself Friday night at Pinole Valley. They'd had a great week of practice, and the Gauchos took the field with renewed energy, primed to ruin the Spartans perfect season.

But as the game wore on, El Cerrito unraveled.

The Gauchos lost to Pinole Valley 49-13 on Friday, ending their hopes of a league championship. Instead, the Spartans (8-0-1, 5-0 )clinched the Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League title. And the Gauchos (4-5, 3-2) are left to fight for their postseason lives.

"You've got to be able to play through adversity better than this," El Cerrito coach Kenny Kahn said. "You have to respond when things get tough."

They're now tough for the Gauchos. Although El Cerrito is guaranteed to be playoff-eligible by virtue of its league record, the Gauchos could really use a win next week against Alameda to improve their resume.

When they took the field Friday, the Gauchos appeared poised to shock the Spartans and win the league. El Cerrito sustained early offensive drives and kept Pinole Valley's potent rushing attack largely in check. After recovering a Pinole Valley fumble in Spartans territory, El Cerrito's Byron Thomas hit Rovante Burgin for a six-yard touchdown in the second quarter, tying the game at 7. But after the Gauchos' unsuccessfully tried to run out the clock in the second quarter, the Spartans took a halftime lead on a touchdown catch by Nehemiah Watson with 21 seconds remaining in the half.

"That really changed momentum," Kahn said. "A touchdown like that right before halftime doesn't feel good."

The Gauchos were overwhelmed in the second half, as they failed to move the ball and allowed the Spartans to run all over them. For the night, Pinole Valley outgained El Cerrito 372-155, and most of that disparity was accounted for in the second half. On their way to the blowout win, the Spartans at one point scored 35 consecutive points.

"I don't think much changed on our part from the first to the second half," Pinole Valley coach Steve Alameda said. "That just was not an optimal effort by El Cerrito."

Trailing 49-7, El Cerrito made the final score a little more respectable with a late 41-yard touchdown pass from backup quarterback Jorden Webster — in for mop-up duty — to Kris Jackson.

But that was the lone highlight for El Cerrito in the second half.

"When you get down not just one touchdown but two or three touchdowns," Kahn said, "you've got to be able to play for pride."

——————————

Pinole Valley 49, El Cerrito 13

El Cerrito 0 7 0 6 — 13

Pinole Valley 7 7 14 21 — 49

Scoring summary

3:30, 1st — P: James Lewis 4 run (Maxwell Naterman kick)

5:40, 2nd — E: Rovante Burgin 6 pass from Byron Thomas (kick good)

0:21, 2nd — P: Nehemiah Winston 33 pass from Craig Campbell (Naterman kick)

9:51, 3rd — P: Lewis 10 run (Naterman kick)

3:10, 3rd — P: Lewis 8 run (Naterman kick)

11:48, 4th — P: Lewis 44 run (Naterman kick)

9:33, 4th — P: Carvonte Hill 6 run (Naterman kick)

6:30, 4th — P: Christopher Yee 17 run (Naterman kick)

2:44, 4th — E: Kris Jackson 41 pass from Jorden Webster (try failed)

Individual statistics

Rushing (car-yards): E — James Savage 13-82, Jeremy Crowder 1-1, Webster 4-0, Byron Thomas 5-(-24); P — Hill 13-97, Lewis 17-198, Tay Holley 1-1, Campbell 2-(-1), Yee 1-17.

Passing (comp-att-yards-int): E — Thomas 4-9-30-0, Webster 3-6-66-0; P — Holley 1-2-27-0, Campbell 1-2-33-0.

Receiving (rec-yards): E — Burgin 2-15, Jalen Harvey 2-15, Jackson 3-66; P — Winston 2-60.

Team offense (rush-pass-total)

El Cerrito 59-96-155

Pinole Valley 312-60-372

Fumbles/lost: P — 1/1. E — 3/1.

Records: Pinole Valley 8-0-1 (5-0 ACCAL), El Cerrito 4-5 (3-2).

——————————

Follow Patch Sports East Bay on Twitter

——————————

East Bay Football Coverage

Alameda Contra Costa Athletic League

Alameda 71, Richmond 46 — Alameda — By Peter Fournier

Berkeley 33, Hercules 0 — Hercules — By Richard Paolinelli

Pinole Valley 49, El Cerrito 13 — El Cerrito / Pinole — By Jordan Conn

Bay Football League

Valley Christian 55, St. Elizabeth 6 — Dublin — By Joey Brownlee

Bay Shore Athletic League

Encinal 47, Kennedy 12 — Alameda — By Chris Nguon

Moreau Catholic 28, Piedmont 13 — Piedmont — By Mustafa Shaikh

St. Patrick/St. Vincent 63, John Swett 13

Diablo Foothill Athletic League

Alhambra 27, Dougherty Valley 14 — San Ramon — By Chuck Nan

Miramonte 26, Dublin 17 — Dublin / Lamorinda — By Bill Soliday

Las Lomas 30, Campolindo 28 — Lamorinda / Walnut Creek — By Eric Gilmore

Diablo Valley Athletic League

Concord 78, Northgate 12 — Walnut Creek — By Jim Mannion

East Bay Athletic League

Amador Valley 24, San Ramon Valley 21 —  /  — By Trevor Murphy

California 49, Foothill 7 — Pleasanton / San Ramon — By Kyle Bonagura

De La Salle 49, Livermore 0 — Livermore — By Kyle Yamamoto

Monte Vista 37, Granada 22 —  / Livermore — By Brandon Nicholson

Hayward Area Athletic League

Arroyo 28, Tennyson 27

Bishop O'Dowd 29, San Leandro 20

Castro Valley 29, Hayward 26 — Castro Valley — By Matt Rempel

Mission Valley Athletic League

James Logan 32, Newark Memorial 6 — Union City — By Pierre Bautista

Washington  73, Mission San Jose 0