The San Lorenzo Valley High School varsity football team capped off its phenomenal turnaround season in style, clinching a berth in the Central Coast Section playoffs with a dominant 23-6 win over the Soquel High Knights.
The Cougars, ending their regular season with an 8-2 overall record and a 4-1 record in Santa Cruz Coast Athletic League play, will return to CCS playoff action for the first time since 2010 on Friday against Pacific Grove.
On a chilly November night under the lights, it was a do-or-die situation in front of the Cougars, as a loss to the Knights — only a game behind SLV in SCCAL rankings — would tie the two teams in the standings and award the tiebreaker to Soquel.
For the first half, the game had all the makings of a nailbiter as the only offense the Cougars could scrape together was a 33-yard field goal from senior Garrett Kustin. Soquel made it 6-3 with Jared Audisio’s 35-yard scoring reception from Finneas Del Bonta-Smith — and it was only due to a bit of luck and slick Cougar defense that that score wasn’t higher going into the second half.
Fortunately for SLV, the offense woke up in the second half, scoring three unanswered touchdowns.
Senior quarterback Isaac Newberrywas16-27, passing for 210 yards, and two touchdowns.
Senior running back Nate Gentry had 14 carries for 80 yards and a touchdown, and had four receptions for 71 yards.
Returning from injuries, senior tight end Jared Trader and junior running back Brighton Hart immediately showed they hadn’t missed a step, as both were major contributors to scoring plays.
Hart had 12 carries and rushed for 69 yards. He also had four receptions for 83 yards and scored a touchdown.
Trader caught four receptions for 33 yards and scored a touchdown.
On defense, senior defensive back Ari Solomon had an interception, and senior defensive lineman Tommy Fitzgerald and sophomore linebacker Ryan Kinch each recorded a sack.
Soquel’s offense struggled to come back to life in the second half, twice coming within yards of the end zone. In each case, the Cougar defense forced a turnover.
