It was a game of huge plays for both teams as the Scotts Valley Falcons overran the visiting Half Moon Bay Cougars, 35-32, on Saturday, Sept. 10, at Scotts Valley High.
More than 800 total yards were accrued as the teams battled back and forth in a pre-season showdown featuring two explosive offensive units.
Wesley Walters, a senior running back for the Cougars, gained 311 total yards — 287 rushing and 24 receiving — to go with his three touchdowns. He also recovered a fumble on defense.
The Falcons had an answer of their own in a five-headed dragon of talented backs and receivers in Jack Pasquini, Joe Gillette, Colin Corbella, Victor Passanisi and Ari Wargon, that left the Cougars in a conundrum on where to focus their attentions.
Pasquini completed 12 of his 14 attempts for 145 yards and two touchdowns.
Wargon, a running back, proved early that the Falcons had big-play potential with a 40-yard scamper to the Cougar 17-yard line, a run that set up Gillette’s 18-yard touchdown reception on Scotts Valley’s opening drive.
But it was Corbella who led the Falcons’ attack, with 208 total yards and two touchdowns. He rushed for 164 yards and had 44 receiving yards on one catch — after hauling in a short pass from Pasquini, the senior running back pinballed off five would-be-tacklers and spun on his pivot hand to avoid going down before making his way into the end zone.
“That was a great run by an impressive athlete,” Falcons coach Louie Walters said.
Later, with time running out in the first half, Scotts Valley hurried out its field goal unit. As the halftime buzzer sounded, all-state kicker Noah Beito blasted the longest field goal in school history, connecting from 48 yards to give the Falcons a 17-8 halftime lead.
“That kick was something else,” Walters said. “Even (former 49ers kicker and Scotts Valley assistant) Joe Nedney said he had never seen a special teams unit pull that off. Twelve seconds on the clock and no timeouts. That was perfect.”
In the third quarter, Walters put the Cougars on his back, busting out for touchdown runs of 88 and 86 yards.
After a Beito field goal for Scotts Valley, the Cougars still led going into the fourth quarter, 23-20.
But Corbella and Passanisi both scored in the fourth quarter to cap Scotts Valley scoring drives and seal the victory.
Scotts Valley is 2-0 in pre-league and will continue the season at Kings Academy at 7 p.m. Friday, Sept. 16.
